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Around the World. 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 



THROUGH MANY LANDS AND OVER MANY SEAS. 



i 



BY 



JOHN VANDERSLICE. 



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PRINTED BY 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO., 

PHILADELPHIA. 

1876. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876, by 

JOHN VANDERSLICE, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 

G44 



TO 



MY BELOVED AND VENERABLE WIFE, 

WHO, BEYOND THE GATE OF FOURSCORE, GAVE ME HER 

PARTING BLESSING AND WATCHED FOR MY RETURN 

HOME; WHO NOW CALMLY AWAITS HER 

SUMMONS TO THE BETTER COUNTRY. 



PREFACE. 



The writer of the following pages has traveled 
in every State and Territory of the United States, 
Canada, Cuba, and the East, Great Britain and Ire- 
land, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy, 
Egypt, Syria, Greece, Switzerland, Tyrol, Den- 
mark, and Sweden; in whose company A. F. 
Shanafelt visited the ruins of Baalbec, roamed 
through the crooked street called "Straight" of 
Damascus, bathed in the Jordan near its source, 
and feasted at the summit of the Pyramids. 

The journey of which the following pages con- 
tain a running account was undertaken by the 
writer mainly for the recovery of health, he having 
been paralyzed three times within ten years. The 
time devoted to traveling around the world was 
eight months, which may seem a short time when 
the great extent of land and sea is taken into 
account; but the facilities of travel are so great at 

5 



6 PREFA CE. 

the present day that more may now be accom- 
plished in eight months than formerly in one or 
two years. 

The actual traveling time in going round the 
world was eight months, distributed as follows : 

From Philadelphia to Chicago, Omaha, Salt 
Lake, San Francisco, by rail, from the 29th day of 
September, 1874, ten days; from San Francisco on 
the 29th October, 1874, to Yokohama, twenty-six 
days on board; sail from Yokohama for the inland 
sea of Japan ; arrive at Shanghai in eight days ; 
sail to Hong Kong in time; go" up to Canton, and 
then resume voyage from Hong Kong on the 10th 
December, so as to reach Singapore on the 18th; 
leave Singapore on 21st, and proceed through 
Straits of Malacca to Penang, and from thence to 
Point de Galle, Ceylon; we call at Madras, about 
midway between Point de Galle and Calcutta; we 
leave Madras for Calcutta January 29, 1875; at 
Benares, the holy city of the Hindoos; at Agra, 
Taj ; leave Agra for Delhi ; leave Delhi for Cawn- 
poor and Lucknow, and proceed to Allahabad; 
leave Allahabad for Jubbulpoor; leave Jubbul- 
poor for Bombay February 18, 1875; leave Bom- 
bay for Aden; leave Aden February 30 for Red 



PREFACE. j 

Sea and Suez; expect to arrive at Suez March 18; 
take railway for Cairo; leave Cairo for Alexandria; 
leave Alexandria and sail for Brindisi, and proceed 
for Naples; go to Rome March 30, 1875; from 
Rome to Pisa, to Spezzia, to Genoa, to Milan, to 
Turin, to Mont Cenis Tunnel, to Paris, to Calais, 
to London, to Liverpool, to sail across the ocean 
to New York, twelve days. 

The natural order with the sun is the only prac- 
ticable course, excepting at great expense of com- 
fort and no little exposure of health and life. 

The journey detailed in this volume was ar- 
ranged with regard to these contingencies so accu- 
rately that the highest range of the thermometer 
occurring in its whole extent was in crossing our 
own continent at starting, and in landing at New 
York on the return, and yet in different parts of 
Asia that were visited the degree of heat during 
a large part of the year varies from one hundred 
degrees to one hundred and thirty degrees Fahren- 
heit in the shade. In India the thermometer often 
stands in summer at one hundred and twenty de- 
grees and one hundred and thirty degrees during 
the day, and does not fall below one hundred de- 
grees at night; but we neither saw frost during the 



8 ' PRE FA CE. 

entire year nor a higher degree than ninety to 
ninety-nine of the thermometer. 

For the encouragement of future travelers around 
the world, it is well to state that the journey was 
made without accident of any kind, without the 
occurrence of serious illness to any of the party. 
More than once were we in perils on the land and 
on the sea, but, under the care of a kind and 
watchful Providence, we made the circuit of the 
earth, and returned to our home in safety, all the 
objects of our journey attained — health, pleasure, 
instruction, and a world of information concerning 
many lands and people gathered, which will be a 
life-long source of enjoyment. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



BORN. 

I, John Vanderslice, Jr., was born May 27, 
1 80 1, in Pikeland Township, Chester County, 
Pennsylvania. 

MARRIED. 

Was married October 20, 1825. 

CHARLESTOWN, VIRGINIA. 

In November, 1825, I started for Charlestown, 
Virginia. Stayed there and in the neighborhood 
three weeks. Returned by way of Harper's Ferry. 
Saw some of my old friends, among them Lewis 
Wormwag and Jesse Schofield, of Phcenixville. 

FARMING. 

In the spring of 1826 I commenced farming on 
a large place on thirds : the gentleman found all 
the stock and farming utensils. I started without 
a dollar, farmed four years, and then released. 

DAYTON, OHIO. 

May 28, 1828, I started for Dayton, Ohio, with 
Job Eldridge and wife ; went as far as Wheeling, 
Virginia, in a carriage. I took the stage on the 

2 9 



IO AROUND THE WORLD. 

National Pike for forty miles. This was then a 
first-class road. Then came to where the road 
was not macadamized, and went seven miles in the 
dark. The next morning took the stage back to 
Wheeling, then took a boat to Cincinnati, and from 
there to Dayton with my brother-in-law. 

INDIANA. 

Went from there to Indiana ; bought a horse 
and returned to Dayton ; remained there three 
weeks, and found company as far toward home as 
to Harrisburg. I then went into a speculation 
and made five hundred and thirteen dollars, clear 
of all expenses, after paying my fare, etc., in Hali- 
fax and Milton. 

BUTCHERING. 

I then carried on butchering for two years, made 
some money, and then bought a 

FARM 

in Pikeland, at Kimberton, for three thousand dol- 
lars. I kept the farm seven years, improved it very 
much, and sold it for eight thousand four hundred 
dollars, reserving about one acre, on which I built 
a house and barn ; lived there about nine months, 
and sold it for two thousand dollars. 
I then bought a tract of land in 

PHCENIXVILLE 

for four thousand dollars. There was no building 
on this tract except my house, and none as late as 
1840, except a few houses. Since that time I have 



AROUND THE WORLD. u 

been very busy. I have sold a great many lots to 
persons who wanted to buy at a fair price, — many 
for three thousand dollars for one-fifth part of an 
acre, and from that down to as low as two hundred 
dollars for the same quantity of land, — up to 1874. 

LONDON. 

May 15, 185 1, 1 left Philadelphia in the steamer 
City of Glasgow for Liverpool, England. I had a 
very fine passage to Liverpool (eighteen days' sail- 
ing) ; stayed there four days, and started for London, 
stopping at all the towns on the way. Stayed in 
London ten days, and went to the World's Fair. 

PARIS. 

June 9, 185 1, went to Paris, France; a splendid 
city. Spent ten days there, making many tours 
around the city. Left Paris by railroad for Cha- 
lons-sur-Saone, passing through many towns. 
There took a steamboat to Lyons, which is a 
beautiful city. There are seven hundred silk fac- 
tories in Lyons. I embarked on the steamer Pekin 
for Avignon, on the Rhone. This is an old city 
of popery. 

Here we took the cars for 

MARSEILLES, 

the chief port of the Mediterranean and steam- 
packet station for Italy. The population is over 
two hundred thousand. June 17, 185 1, we em- 
barked on the steamer Pharamond for Leghorn, 
which is a fine city. 



I2 AROUND THE WORLD. 

PISA. 
We visited the wonderful Leaning Tower of Pisa. 
It is worthy of all the fame it has acquired. It is 
about eighty feet in diameter and two hundred and 
fifty feet high, with marble stairs inside to the top. 
There is a fine view of the country from the top of 
this tower. 

NAPLES. 

Went back to Leghorn and took a steamer for 
Naples, which is a beautiful city, containing four 
hundred thousand inhabitants; went into the Cata- 
combs, saw hundreds of rooms ; walked up Mount 
Vesuvius and all over the top of it. 

POMPEII. 

Came back to Resina, then made our way to 
Pompeii. We entered the Nola Gate, saw the 
Amphitheatre, five hundred feet long and three 
hundred and fifty feet in width, capable of holding 
one hundred thousand persons. We went through 
every part of Pompeii, going out at another gate. 
We went to Herculaneum, visited the ruins of that 
city, then back to Naples, then toward the city of 
Rome, in a coach drawn by eight fine black horses. 
We passed a great many towns and through the 
Pontine Marshes, which are considered very dan- 
gerous. One is liable to fall asleep in passing 
these marshes, owing, as is supposed, to the im- 
purity of the air. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 13 

TAVERNS. 

We went to Three Taverns, where the great 
Apostle Paul had been. Here we took breakfast; 
then on to Rome. 

ROME. 

Rome has been one of the finest cities in the 
world. At one time it contained five millions of 
inhabitants, but now has only about one hundred 
and fifty thousand. It has dwindled down very 
much. It is still a very fine city, and has some of 
the greatest curiosities I ever saw. The Vatican 
and St. Peter's cover six acres of ground. Here 
you are never out of sight of cardinals, bishops, 
priests, monks, and nuns, — the whole number being 
over twenty-two thousand, — and the city has within 
it about twenty-four thousand beggars. I cannot 
name the curiosities to be seen in Rome. I went 
to see very many of them, and was much amused. 
The Pope resides here. I saw him more than a 
dozen times. We left Rome by stage for Civita 
Vecchia. This is a miserable poverty-stricken 
place. July 2, 185 1, left this place in a steamship 
for Leghorn. 

PISA. 

We went from Leghorn to Pisa, thirty miles 
distant. I visited the Roman Cathedral, a very 
rich and magnificent building. The candlesticks 
in the church alone cost one hundred and forty 
thousand dollars. There are a great many splen- 



14 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



did paintings and statues in the church, which is 
very handsomely carved. The ceiling is the most 
splendidly gilt that I ever beheld ; it is about 
one hundred feet from the floor, and the galleries 
are far the finest I ever saw. The wonderful Lean- 
ing Tower of Pisa is worthy of all the fame it has 
acquired ; it arrests the attention and awakens the 
admiration of every traveler ; it is about eighty 
feet in diameter, two hundred and fifty feet high, 
and leans from the foundation to the top. On 
the inside is a staircase winding round and round 
to the top, built of marble. On the top of this 
tower is one of the finest views I ever beheld of 
the surrounding country, river, and sea. Near the 
burial-place is a baptismal font, which was built 
about one thousand five hundred years ago. It is 
a very large, high building, entirely round, and in 
the centre, where the water flows out and falls into 
the cistern which was used for baptizing in ancient 
times, there are four small cisterns at the top of 
the large one. 

FLORENCE. 

We next visited the city of Florence, which 
contains one hundred thousand inhabitants. It is 
strongly walled, as are most cities on the Conti- 
nent, and is defended by several forts. Florence 
is a very fine city. I visited the studio of Mr. 
Powers, the American sculptor from Vermont, 
whose fame is already world-wide, and it will yet 



AROUND THE WORLD. 15 

be felt that his Greek Slave and Fisher Boy are not 
his loftiest achievements. 

July 6, 185 1, left Florence in mail diligence, 
and, after leaving Porto San Gallo and passing the 
Triumphal Arch, we passed through one of the 
best, richest, and charming countries in the world, 
flanked with vines, orange-groves, olive-planta- 
tions, and fig-trees, until we gradually approached 
the pass of the 

APENNINES ; 

and, as we ascended, looking back, I must say 
we had one of the most magnificent views I ever 
saw. We then came to Bologna, which contains 
seventy-five thousand inhabitants, and is a beau- 
tiful city. Left Bologna for Ferrara by way of 
Rovigo, and here passed out of the Papal States 
into Austria, crossing the river Po on a bridge of 
boats; arrived at Padua on the 9th of July, 185 1. 
This is a fine city. 

VENICE. 

Here we took the cars for Venice, a city built 
on the sea. Venice is one of the most beautiful 
cities I have ever seen, although the streets- are 
very narrow, — not more than from four to eight 
feet wide, and only one or two of the principal 
streets eight feet wide. The city is traversed in 
every direction by canals, which are thronged with 
gondolas. I visited the Ducal Palace and de- 
scended into the ancient dungeons, now tenantless. 



1 6 AROUND THE WORLD. 

I saw the ancient palace where thousands of per- 
sons had been beheaded. The blood remains on 
the wall near the guillotine about six inches thick. 
At the office the blood passed into the sea. I also 
ascended the bell-tower of St. Mark's, three hun- 
dred and thirty feet high, and had a magnificent 
view of the city, sea, etc. 

VERONA. 

July 10, 185 I, left Venice for Verona, and passed 
through some of the finest, most beautiful, and 
richest country I ever saw. Left Verona in a 
diligence, passed some beautiful country and sev- 
eral old towns, traveled all night, and arrived in 
the city of Milan, about seventy-five miles from 
Verona, about eight o'clock a.m. 

MILAN. 

Milan,]\Ay 1 1,1851. — This city is strongly walled, 
and contains one hundred and seventy-five thou- 
sand inhabitants. The most interesting object in 
Milan is its magnificent cathedral, — I think the 
most beautiful structure of the kind in the world, 
and only inferior in size to St. Peter's. It is a 
Gothic structure, built of the purest white marble, 
carved with a delicacy and lightness that is in- 
credible, surmounted by a dome of the most deli- 
cate openwork and by innumerable spires. The 
elevated and delicate spire of the dome is sur- 
mounted by a colossal statue, and every spire is 
tipped with a statue rather larger than natural size. 



AROUND THE WORLD. . 17 

There are an immense number of niches on every 
part of the extension of the building, all filled with 
statues, of which there are said to be no less than 
five thousand in and on the church. I ascended to 
the dome by four thousand six hundred and eighty 
steps. There is a forest of spires here. It is from 
the top of the dome that the most grand, magnifi- 
cent view imaginable is obtained. At your feet lies 
the city, and around it a great number of beautiful 
villas ; and farther on still are villages and towns 
in all directions, over the richest of countries, the 
plains of Lombardy, clothed with the most luxu- 
riant vegetation, and intersected by innumerable 
rivers and canals that glitter in the sunshine. 

Left Milan at twelve o'clock, July 12, 185 1, for 
Lake Silvercords, via railroad to Lake Como, which 
we reached in two hours; thence taking the Swiss 
government diligence for Altorf, at the head of 
Lake Lucerne. We arrived at the town of Lugono 
and passed through her narrow streets, the widest 
not more than fifteen feet; thence to Bellinzona, a 
town of ten thousand inhabitants; followed the 
river to Mt. Gotthard. 

AIROLO. 

We reached Airolo, where the stage stopped at 
eight o'clock p.m., and stayed over-night, July 13, 
185 1. I left this pretty town about seven o'clock 
in the morning, in advance of the diligence, which 
did not start until nearly nine o'clock. 



1 8 AROUND THE WORLD. 

ALPS. 

From Airolo I could see the main road for sev- 
eral miles, which, of course, runs zigzag up the 
Alps. I had to travel fifteen miles to reach St. 
Gotthard, but I could see a footpath that ap- 
peared to lead straight up the mountain. After 
ascending a considerable distance, I sat down to 
rest, finding the ascent too steep to travel. Here I 
overtook a fellow-traveler (German or Swiss). He 
informed me that he was from Reading, Pennsyl- 
vania, United States. I felt glad to meet a Penn- 
sylvanian in St. Gotthard Alps. I kept in company 
with him to the summit. Stopped at St. Bernard 
to rest a little while; waited for the stage. When 
I overtook the stranger we were in among the 
snow, and only a third of the way up the moun- 
tain. After ascending farther, the water ran under 
the snow, which formed an arch across the channel 
or creek. The snow here was twenty feet deep, 
July 13, 185 1. The creek is fifty-four yards wide ; 
I crossed it on the bridge of snow. Here we had 
to take the oldest road, the new road not being 
open since the fall of snow. A little farther on is 
another place where the new road had just been 
opened through the snow, which is at least thirty 
feet deep, and stands perpendicular on each side of 
the road. I was now near the summit or convent 
of St. Bernard. Here the ground was covered with 
snow twenty feet deep, and all vegetation had 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



19 



ceased. Here is a little lake covered with ice 
from two to three feet in thickness. At the mon- 
astery are the dogs on the porch, great broad- 
chested, strong-limbed, of a dusky fawn color 
mixed with white spots, who never offer to bite. 
To these dogs many a poor benighted traveler 
owes his life from November to May. Here they 
changed horses, using only half the number to go 
down the mountain. We left the summit for Al- 
torf, going down the mountain in zigzag at full 
speed. Almost one-third of the way down is a 
place they call the Devil's Bridge. Just before we 
came to this we" passed through two tunnels. A 
little farther down there is a natural bridge across 
the river. It is composed of solid rock, and the 
water passes under it at a very rapid rate, and in 
many places has a descent of from five to six 
hundred feet. 

ALTORF. 

Here is the town of Altorf. It is impossible to 
estimate the quantity of ice on the Alps in Swit- 
zerland. I was told that independent of the gla- 
ciers in the Gresons there are fifteen hundred square 
miles of ice in the Alpine range from eighty to six 
hundred feet thick. Some glaciers, they say, have 
been stationary in the Alps from time immemorial. 
Altorf is situated at the head of Lake Lucerne. 
The town was erected in honor of William Tell, 
and stands on the spot where the Bailiff Gessler 



20 AROUND THE WORLD. 

chained William Tell's son to a post in the market- 
place and compelled his father to shoot an apple 
off his son's head with a bow and arrow. William 
Tell succeeded in hitting the apple the first time, 
but when the tyrant asked him the reason of his 
having another arrow concealed in his dress, he 
replied, " To have killed you, had I killed my son." 
All this was done because William Tell would not 
bow to the hat of Bailiff Gessler. The offended 
Gessler had Tell seized, bound, and placed in the 
same boat with himself, resolved to carry him 
across the lake to his own castle and confine him. 
A frightful storm suddenly arose, and they were 
obliged to unbind the prisoner, who was celebrated 
for his skill as a mariner. He conducted them 
near to a ridge of rocks, jumping from the boat to 
a rock, at the same time pushing the boat back 
and sending it adrift. He escaped and concealed 
himself in a thicket, then waited for Gessler to 
pass on his way to his castle, and slew him. 
There is a small chapel erected upon the rock 
where William Tell leaped off the boat. I saw 
the chapel as I passed in the steamer. Altorf con- 
tains six thousand inhabitants, 

LUCERNE. 

Lucerne, July 14, 185 1. — Stopped at the new 
and splendid Hotel Switzer Hoff, which contains 
about one hundred and fifty rooms and numerous 
saloons. Lucerne contains eight thousand inhab- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 2 \ 

itants, a great many bridges of the finest kind, 
churches and cathedrals. 

BASLE. 

Left Lucerne July 15, 185 1, for Basle, through 
Switzerland. Saw a great many cities and towns 
on the way to Basle. The present population of 
Basle is twenty-five thousand. It is built on both 
sides of the Rhine, and is the capital of the 
state. 

STRASBURG. 

Strasburg, July 16, 185 1. — Strasburg contains 
seventy-five thousand inhabitants. The principal 
object of interest in Strasburg is the cathedral. The 
steeple was begun in the year 1276, and finished in 
1439. The entire height of this building from the 
floor to the top of the spire is six hundred feet. The 
entire length is four hundred feet. I ascended to the 
top, and had one of the finest views I ever beheld. 
I could see all the city of Strasburg and many 
other large and flourishing cities. I could see 
Switzerland, France, and Germany, and up and 
down the Rhine for several miles I could see the 
steamboats plying in the river. The dome of St. 
Peter's, in Rome, is from six to seven feet lower. 
The great mechanical clock in Strasburg is in 
height about one hundred feet, and about thirty 
feet diameter and fifteen feet deep. Around me are 
many strangers waiting to see the working of the 
clock. As it strikes the hour of twelve or noon 

3 



22 AROUND THE WORLD. 

every eye is upon it. It now wants five minutes 
of twelve : now the clock has struck, and some of 
the people go out. The dial is thirty feet from 
the floor; on each side is a cherub or little boy 
with a mallet, and over the dial is a small bell ; the 
cherub on the left strikes the first quarter, the one 
on the right the second quarter. Some thirty feet 
above the dial is a large niche, in which is a huge 
figure of Time, a bell in his left and a scythe in his 
right hand ; in front stands a figure of a young 
man, with a mallet, who strikes the third quarter 
on the bell in the hand of Time, then turns and 
glides with a slow step around behind Time ; then 
comes out an old man, with a mallet, and places 
himself in front of Father Time, and as the hour 
of twelve comes the old man raises his mallet and 
deliberately strikes twelve times on the bell, that 
echoes through the building and is heard all 
around the region of the church and city. Then 
the old man glides slowly behind Father Time. 
As soon as the old man has struck twelve and 
disappeared, another set of machinery is put in 
motion, some twenty feet higher. It is thus: 
there is a large cross with an image of Christ upon 
it ; the instant twelve is struck, one of the Apostles 
walks out from behind, comes in front, turns, facing 
the cross, bows, and walks around to his place. 
As he does so, another comes out in front, turns, 
bows, and passes in. So twelve Apostles' figures, 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



23 



as large as life, walk around, bow, and pass on. 
As the last disappears, an enormous cock, perched 
on the pinnacle of the clock, slowly flaps his wings, 
stretches forth his neck, and crows three times, so 
loud as to be heard outside of the church for some 
distance, and so naturally as to be mistaken for a 
real cock ; then all is silent as death. No wonder 
that this clock is the admiration of Europe! It 
was made in 175 1. 

BADEN-BADEN. 

Left July 16, 185 1, for Baden-Baden; passed 
through many towns and a fine country ; stayed 
there four days. It is one of the finest bathing- 
places, perhaps, in Europe, and was one of the 
greatest gambling-places I ever saw, both for men 
and women. Left July 20, 185 1, for Rastadt, 
which has a population of six thousand. Left for 
Carlsruhe, a very beautiful city ; has twenty thou- 
sand inhabitants ; they say it is one of the finest 
cities of the Rhine ; the streets are very wide and 
the buildings very fine. 

HEIDELBERG. 

Left Carlsruhe for Heidelberg. It contains four- 
teen thousand inhabitants. Here is the largest 
hogshead in the world: it is thirty-three feet long, 
twenty-four feet high, and seventy-two feet in cir- 
cumference. Went to Mannheim, a fine city on 
the Rhine, containing twenty-five thousand inhab- 
itants. 



24 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



FRANKFORT. 

Went to Frankfort-on-the-Main. It contains 
sixty thousand inhabitants, and is the seat of the 
German Diet. It contains twenty-one open sew- 
ers, one hundred and fifteen fountains, and eighteen 
churches of different denominations. The chief 
part of the town is occupied by rich merchants, 
who live in elegant residences. A great many of 
the streets are very wide and handsome. The 
city contains about three thousand National 
Guards. 

The most interesting sight is the Casino, an ele- 
gant building for amusement and refreshment. The 
first floor is devoted to reading, conversation, cards, 
and billiards. There are upwards of a hundred 
periodicals for the use of visitors. The ground- 
floor is devoted to refreshments and smoking. The 
Casino in Frankfort is conducted equal to any in 
Germany. 

The garden of Baron Rothschild is situated 
on the right of Bockenheim road ; admission is 
readily granted to respectable strangers. The mu- 
seum contains a great many natural curiosities: 
minerals, antediluvian remains, mammalia, birds, 
and stuffed animals, — among them the hippopota^- 
mus, or river-horse — skeletons of fish, birds, ani- 
mals, human skulls, reptiles, Egyptian mummies, 
Indian curiosities, eggs, and a great-coat made of 
sausage-skins, etc. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 2 $ 

MAYENCE. 

Mayence, formerly the residence of the first 
Elector of Germany, and more recently the chief 
place of a department of France, is now the most 
important town in the Grand Duchy of Hesse- 
Darmstadt ; it is situated in the midst of the 
most beautiful and fertile country in Germany, 
opposite to the mouth of the Main, partly on the 
side of the hill and partly on the bank of the river 
Rhine. Its population is forty thousand, without 
including the garrison, which consists of twelve 
thousand Prussians and Austrians, making in May- 
ence a population of fifty-two thousand souls. 

COBLENTZ. 

Left Mayence in steamboat for Coblentz ; passed 
down the river. Here is a town, Riebrich. After 
passing it, the hills on both sides of the river were 
covered with vineyards, the grape being exten- 
sively cultivated. Here is another town, situated 
at the mouth of the Nahi River; on the left is the 
mountain Rudesheim, and an old castle entirely 
surrounded by rocks, and standing on the very 
highest peaks. A little farther on are the ruins 
of another old castle, upon the highest rocks that 
can be seen. Here the river rushes with impetu- 
osity toward a chain of black mountains, and after- 
wards suddenly toward the north, breaking against 
the rocks of the tower of Meuse, and a little far- 
ther down are the ruins of the tower last mentioned. 

3* 



26 AROUND THE WORLD. 

Still farther down is the place they call " The 
Devil's Ladder." The mountain is very high and 
the ascent very steep. Just below is the town of 
Lorch, in which it is said the first red wine was 
made in Germany. Still farther down the scenery 
is most magnificent. We are in sight of the city 
of Coblentz, which is on the Rhine and Moselle, at 
the confluence of the two rivers. Coblentz contains 
twenty thousand inhabitants, and is a very pretty 
city. There is a very strong fort on the high cliff 
of the rocks, from which I had a very extensive 
view of Coblentz and surrounding country. There 
are three thousand tons of cannon-balls in this fort. 
To Cologne. Passed some very pretty old towns 
and very handsome scenery. Bonn has a very 
beautiful appearance ; it contains twenty thousand 
inhabitants, and has several very fine churches. 

COLOGNE. 

Cologne, July 21,1851 . — This city contains eighty 
thousand inhabitants. There are seventy thousand 
nine hundred and thirty-eight Catholics, six thou- 
sand four hundred and eighty Protestants, and seven 
hundred and eighty-four Jews. It is a walled city, 
and has nineteen gates of entry and thirty-four 
public squares. The cathedral is a great curiosity. 
It was commenced six hundred years ago, and is 
not yet finished; it is built in the form of a cross 
supported by a row of sixty-four pillars. There are 
altogether more than one hundred pillars. The 



AROUND THE WORLD. 2 J 

four columns in the middle are each thirty feet in 
diameter. There are two towers or steeples five 
hundred feet high, unfinished. The bell weighs 
twenty-five thousand pounds. Cologne is one of 
the finest cities in Germany ; the streets are wide 
and clean ; the stores are all open on Sunday. It 
has more than two hundred churches of different 
denominations. 

DUSSELDORF. 

Dusseldorf, on the bank of the Rhine below 
Cologne, is low and the country very level. There 
are a great many towns along the Rhine ; you. are 
seldom out of sight of towers. Dusseldorf is the 
capital of the Grand Duchy of Berg, the seat of 
Parliament of the Rhenish provinces. It contains 
thirty thousand inhabitants ; the streets are all at 
right angles and are wide. It is celebrated for pic- 
ture-galleries, schools, and for the art of painting. 

WESEL. 

Left Dusseldorf for Wesel, which is well forti- 
fied by forts and a strong wall around the city, 
and contains thirteen thousand inhabitants. Here 
the Lippe falls into the Rhine. There is also a 
bridge of boats here across the Rhine. Left Wesel 
for Emmerich. Between these two places we passed 
ten very pretty towns on the banks of the Rhine. 
We are at Emmerich. Here on both sides of the 
Rhine for many miles the banks are covered with 
dwarf willows, which they use for making baskets. 



28 AROUND THE WORLD. 

We passed down the river Rhine. Here the river 
divides, the larger part of the stream being named 
the Waal. A little lower down it divides again, 
— one part, callel Yssel, taking a northern course. 
The Rhine proceeds east to Catwyk, and then 
divides again and forms two streams, — the largest 
taking the name of Leek. The Rhine, unlike 
most other rivers or streams, branches towards its 
mouth, and the part which retains the name of 
The Rhine is the largest of the many different 
branches. 

ARNHEIM. 

Arnheim is situated at the foot of a hill, and 
has twenty thousand inhabitants. The city con- 
tains many fine buildings for private residences, 
and has a great many fine gardens and public 
squares. 

Here is Utrecht, which we are passing in the 
cars. Utrecht is said to be one of the most beau- 
tiful cities in Holland, and contains fifty thousand 
inhabitants. There is a tower in it which is four 
hundred and sixty-four feet high. 

AMSTERDAM. 

Amsterdam, July 21, 185 1. — This city is of a 
semicircular form, and it is nine miles around it. 
It is surrounded by a canal eighty feet wide, and is 
entered by eight gates. It contains three hundred 
thousand inhabitants, about seventeen thousand of 
whom are said to be Jews. The whole city is built 



AROUND THE WORLD. 29 

on piles driven into the mud. Under one house 
alone, it is said, there are fourteen thousand piles. 
As soon as Amstel River enters the city it is di- 
vided into two streams, from which there are canals 
branching off, communicating with each other and 
with the Y, and intersecting almost every street. 
These canals form ninety little islands, which are 
connected together by three hundred bridges, — 
some stone arched bridges and some draw-bridges. 
I went to see the Royal Palace, which was built in 
1750, and is said to be one of the noblest structures 
in Europe. It is situated in the centre of the Dam- 
Rak, and is two hundred feet square, exclusive of 
the tower. The principal hall is one hundred feet 
long, fifty feet wide, and the ceiling one hundred feet 
high. There are some of the most beautiful paint- 
ings in the palace that I ever saw. One alone was ' 
said to be worth ten thousand dollars. The palace 
is open every day to strangers, who have to write 
down their names when they enter, and pay the 
attendant what they please. I also visited the 
Royal Museum, the Post-Ofifice, and the Barracks 
of St. Charles. - Amsterdam is well supplied with 
all kinds of fish, sold very cheap, — a pair of large 
soles may be had for sixpence. I also visited the 
Corn Exchange, East India Warehouse, one-half 
of the building having sunk into the mud by the 
piles giving way, which causes the building to lean. 
I also went to see the dockyard and some charita- 



3o 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



ble institutions, the Naval School, the Royal In- 
stitute of Science, and the Anatomical Theatre, 
with a museum containing anatomical preparations. 
Here are preserved the skeletons of felons sent for 
dissection. They are dressed in the clothes they 
wore when living, and are labeled with an account 
of their crime. I also went to see the Botanical 
Garden. The most exquisite taste is displayed in 
arranging and laying it out. Radius is one of the 
most beautiful spots in Holland. Attached to the 
establishment is an extensive menagerie, with well- 
arranged dens, containing a choice and rare collec- 
tion of animals from all parts of the world. There 
is also a well-selected cabinet of natural history. 
The Roundel consists of one large room, well 
lighted, and a square court, planted with trees, from 
the branches of which the lamps are suspended. 

The principal amusement of the place is dancing, 
and it is mostly crowded on Sunday evenings, as 
that is the day for amusement all over the Con- 
tinent. In this are most of the Dutcheries. It is 
usual for the idle and dissolute to go to the Masin 
Spiel house or licensed brothel. The unfortunate 
girls are seated on both sides, or parading and 
dancing in the middle of the room, which is about 
one hundred feet long. At the entrance is a bar 
for the sale of refreshments, at which you are com- 
pelled to spend at least sixpence for admission. 
At the far end are the musicians in a gallery. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 3 1 

They say there are thirty thousand girls that follow 
that business in Amsterdam ; they are licensed by 
the government, and entirely under the control of 
the police and physicians. They are not allowed to 
walk the streets after ten o'clock p.m. We traveled 
the city in every direction with gondolas, and 
some of the canals admit the largest vessels. The 
poor people wear wooden shoes, men and women. 
They wheel all kinds of vegetables, fruit, and coun- 
try produce through the city on wheelbarrows. 
Some of them would haul nearly a cartload. This 
is one of the cleanest cities I have ever seen. Every- 
body looks clean ; even the beggars in the streets 
are as clean as though every stitch of their clothing 
had come fresh from the washerwoman. 

HAARLEM. 

Left for Haarlem. The whole face of the coun- 
try between Amsterdam and Haarlem is one con- 
tinued meadow, intersected by ditches to drain off 
the water, without a tree or scarcely a bush in any 
direction, except what was planted in a straight 
line of more than five miles along the road and 
canal. About five miles from Haarlem is the Meer 
on the south and the lake or great water Ai on the 
north, containing an artificial isthmus. At this 
spot the relative heights of the two waters of the 
Ai and the Meer are nicely regulated by means 
of sluices and gauge-posts, marked into very nice 
and minute divisions ; and the greatest attention is 



32 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



paid to the state of the waters at particular spots, 
the safety of Amsterdam and the adjacent country 
from inundation depending much on the manage- 
ment of these two inland seas. I saw some of the 
finest cattle feeding on those low, rich lands be- 
tween Amsterdam and Haarlem that I have seen 
anywhere in Europe. Haarlem has a population of 
twenty-five thousand. It has one of the largest 
organs in the world, — consisting of eight thousand 
pipes and sixty-four stops. The largest pipes are 
thirty-two feet long and eighteen inches in diame- 
ter. To hear it played costs ten dollars, — eight 
dollars to the organist and two dollars to the 
bellows-blower. Not far from the church of St. 
Baron and in the great market-place is the house 
in which lived Laurent Coster, the inventor of 
printing. The first books which he printed are 
preserved in the town-house: they consist of two 
thin quartos, in black letter, on stout coarse paper. 
One of them contains a portion of Revelation ; 
the paper is only printed on one side, which I 
saw and examined in the town-hall. In front of 
Coster's house stands his statue. He is repre- 
sented in a consular robe, and his head is crowned 
with laurel ; in his left hand is a piece of wood on 
which is engraved the alphabet, and in his right 
hand is a book. The«statue, which is said to be a 
good likeness, is nine feet high, and the pedestal six 
feet high. Several inscriptions record the origin 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



33 



and removal of the statue, and there are some later 
verses by Van Zinter, his physician. On the east 
side Coster is represented walking in a wood and 
engraving characters on the bark of trees, and on 
the west side working in a printing-office. Haarlem 
is much celebrated for beautiful flowers: the tulip 
of the city is known in every part of Europe. In 
former times, it is said, one root was sold for ten 
thousand florins, and the aggregate sum procured 
by the sale of a hundred and twenty tulips was 
ninety thousand florins, or six thousand seven 
hundred and fifty pounds. 

LEYDEN. 

Left Haarlem for Leyden. This is a fine town, 
four and a half miles in circumference, situated on 
the Old Rhine, which alone carries its name to the 
sea, and which surrounds the town and supplies its 
numerous canals with water. Population, thirty- 
five thousand. Leyden has a University and a 
Botanical Garden, which is kept in the highest 
possible order, — the walks are beautiful and with- 
out a pebble, — covering an extent of seven acres, 
four of which have been added only a few years 
ago, laid out in good taste, for the reception of 
medicinal plants and for the use of medical students. 
Among the hot-house plants there is a date-palm 
with fruit upon it, which the gardener said had been 
there two hundred years. Nothing can exceed 
the cleanliness of Leyden in all its streets, inhab- 

4 



34 AROUND THE WORLD. 

itants, and dwellings ; the working and even the 
very poor class and beggars are clean. The canals 
running throughout the city have one hundred 
and fifty-five bridges with stone arches, besides 
many other bridges. The country from Haarlem 
to Leyden is beautiful meadow-land, except near 
the ocean, which is all sand-hills. 

HAGUE. 

Left Leyden for Hague. I went to see the prin- 
cipal places in Hague. I saw four beautiful palaces, 
the Museum, the Exchange, the King's Lottery 
House. I was in the House of Parliament, or 
German Diet, which was in session at the time. I 
could not understand any of their speeches more 
than a parcel of geese clattering. Few of the 
noble cities of Europe surpass it in beauty of 
streets, magnificence of palaces, or pleasantness of 
situation. The principal street is called Voorhout, 
but it may be rather called a street of palaces. Sev- 
eral rows of trees are in the centre, with gravel- 
walks ; beneath them is a carriage-way on each 
side. There are canals running through the city 
in every direction. 

ROTTERDAM. 

Left Hague for Rotterdam (by railroad). This 
city is situated in the centre of South Holland. 
The population is seventy-five thousand. The city 
appears in size, beauty, and trade next to Amster- 
dam. The ground-plan of the city is a triangle. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 35 

Through the middle of most of the streets runs a 
straight canal, where the largest ships may land 
and unload at the doors of the warehouses ; the 
streets are crossed by numerous draw-bridges; the 
houses are spacious and high, and in many of the 
streets they are really elegant, belonging chiefly to 
merchants and families occupying the upper stories. 
The hotels are good, and nothing can exceed the 
cleanliness of the houses and people. To every 
house in Rotterdam, and sometimes to every win- 
dow of a house on the first floor, there is fixed a 
single or double looking-glass or reflector, by means 
of which a person in the room sitting before the 
window can see, by reflection, the whole length of 
the street — the passengers, the trees, the canal, and 
the shipping. Where two of these reflectors are 
placed at right angles, facing toward the window, 
a person within, directing the eye to the angle, will 
see the whole street both to the right and to the 
left. They say they are adopted for the amuse- 
ment of the ladies. A stranger who has never 
seen a Dutch town is much amused. The combi- 
nation of water, bridges, trees, and shipping in the 
heart of the city presents a novel and picturesque 
sight. The wooden shoes or sabots of the pas- 
sengers are also novelties to the stranger. Left 
Rotterdam in the evening in a steam-packet for 
Antwerp, in Belgium. 



36 AROUND THE WORLD. 

ANTWERP. 

Antwerp, July 24, 185 1. — This ancient city is 
situated on the Scheldt River. It was once the 
chief mart of the Flemish and European com- 
merce. In 1586 it contained two hundred and one 
thousand inhabitants, but it now contains only 
eighty thousand. The city is in the form of a semi- 
circle, and is about seven miles in circumference. It 
has two hundred and twelve streets, eight churches, 
a custom-house, four canals, etc. There are some 
very fine cathedrals : the most noted one in Antwerp 
is five hundred feet long, two hundred and thirty 
feet wide, and two hundred and sixty feet high ; 
the steeple is four hundred and sixty-six feet high. 
This cathedral has some fine paintings : one is the 
portrait of Mary Queen of Scots. 

BRUSSELS. 

Passed from Antwerp to Brussels, July 26, 185 1. 
The first day I went to see the battle-ground of 
Waterloo; employed Monday (as guide), who was 
in the battle and belonged to the English army. 
He was to take us over the ground and show us 
the positions of both armies. He took us all over 
the battle-ground ; but the corn and wheat again 
wave over the field that was so deeply dyed with 
blood, and almost all traces of the dreadful 
slaughter have disappeared, where seventy-six 
thousand brave followers were slain. There is 
a monument raised called the Lion's Mound, a 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



37 



vast accumulation of earth, one hundred fifty feet 
high. Beneath the mound there lie, indiscrimi- 
nately heaped together, the bones of the slain, 
friends and foes. There is a round flight of stairs 
or steps leading to the top, where there is a huge 
lion standing on a pedestal ten feet high, from 
which an extensive view can be obtained of the 
surrounding country. Our guide showed us the 
barn, with a brick wall around it, which the Eng- 
lish had possession of and which the French tried 
to take. They came down a narrow lane behind 
the barn, near the gate. The English had a fair 
fire on them, but they did not drive the French 
back until the dead and wounded lay six feet deep 
in the lane. Near the gate he also showed us a 
ravine, near which the English lines were formed, 
and to which he said thousands of wounded 
crawled and smothered one another. Near by 
he showed us a place where they had buried 
several thousand of the slain. The pit appeared 
to be about twenty-five feet wide and one hundred 
feet long, and was about one foot lower than the 
other soil around it. We returned to Brussels 
through the Black Forest, which is the thickest, 
heaviest, and best timber I ever saw grow. Brus- 
sels, the capital of Belgium, is beautifully situated 
on the river Senne, about fifty miles from the sea. 
Including its suburbs, it contains one hundred 
and seventy-four thousand six hundred and eighty 
4* 



38 AROUND THE WORLD, 

inhabitants. The principal hotel is one of the 
best and most beautifully situated in Europe; it is 
in sight of the park, king's palace, etc., making it 
the most desirable stopping-place in Brussels. The 
expenses are about the same as at a first-class hotel 
in the United States. On the Place Royale stands 
a finely executed statue of Godfrey de Bouillon, 
by Simons. The principal portion of the city is 
built on the acclivity of a hill, and, viewed from the 
west, reminds the traveler of Genoa or Naples ; 
the upper town contains the park, the royal court 
and government offices, the finest streets, squares, 
and hotels, and the residences of the richest classes. 
The lower town has a more crowded and mean 
appearance, and is the residence of the operative 
portion of the population, though it still abounds 
in fine old picturesque mansions, which were 
formerly occupied by the ancient nobles of Bra- 
bant. 

PARIS. 

From Brussels I continued my way to Paris, 
passing many fine cities. I stayed in Paris four 
days, then to the sea by railroad to Boulogne. Ar- 
rived at Boulogne (one hundred and seventy-five 
miles from Paris), which is a flourishing seaport 
town of great antiquity, and is divided into the 
high and low towns. The high town is connected 
with the low town by a street called La Grande 
Rue, and is surrounded by a rampart, which affords 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



39 



a fine prospect of the country in various directions. 
On the west the English coast may be seen in 
clear weather. 

Boulogne contains twenty-five thousand inhabit- 
ants. It was where Bonaparte's army lay. It is 
also a great bathing place. Left Boulogne on 31st 
of July, 185 1, at two o'clock a.m., in a steam- 
packet, by way of sea to the mouth of Thames 
River. Just as we entered the river, I could see 
one hundred and seventy-six sailing vessels and 
steamers going up and down the river. 

LONDON. 

Arrived at London Bridge at twelve o'clock on 
31st day of July, 185 1. Here we had our baggage 
examined by the custom-house officers, then took 
a cab and went to the Queen's Hotel. On the 1st 
of August, 1 85 1, and for a few days after, I stopped 
at a private house in High Holborn Street, London. 
Spent two days in sight-seeing. Sunday, August 
2, took passage at London Bridge for Greenwich 
Hospital, which is situated six miles below the 
bridge, on the Thames River. All the boats down 
and up the river were crowded with passengers. 
One starts every five minutes from London Bridge. 
Arrived at Greenwich at ten o'clock; went to see 
the hospital for old seamen and mariners, which 
is a very large building, or range of buildings. 
There are three thousand old, crippled seamen and 
mariners, deformed in every shape and manner, 



40 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



many of them confined to their rooms. Every- 
thing looks clean and healthy. I saw them take 
their tea, about six o'clock p.m. They had two 
very large rooms, where they had long tables set, 
and each man had a pint of tea, a small lump of 
butter, and a pound of bread for tea. It is said 
they sometimes give them meat. At the sound 
of a bell, all marched in in double file and took 
their seats in order as marked. After they were 
all seated and served, strangers were allowed to 
pass all through the building and look at them. 
There appear to be some very hard cases among 
them. All around the building are beautiful walks 
and flowers. There is also a gallery of paintings, 
which is very fine. There is a large park attached 
to the institution. In the centre rises a high 
mound, where there is a very pretty view. I could 
see London and many other towns, up and down 
the river, very plainly. I left at seven o'clock p.m. 
Took passage in omnibus back to London. Mon- 
day, August 3, 185 1, went to see the General Post- 
Office, Bank of England, St. Paul's Church, the 
Lord Mayor's mansion, Charing Cross, Nelson's 
monument, all the bridges across the Thames, 
Whitechapel, and the Work-house. In the even- 
ing I visited the Vauxhall Garden. The perform- 
ance was magnificent. August 5, 185 1, went to 
the great London Exhibition. Was there all day. 
In the evening went to the Royal Zoological Gar- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



41 



dens. Crossed the Blackfriar's Bridge. These 
gardens have very beautiful scenery and a large 
collection of wild beasts. There are all kinds of 
amusement. In the evening there is singing and 
a band of music of seventy-five players, the best I 
ever heard. It was Julien's Band. In the winding 
up was splendid fireworks. August 6, 185 1, went 
to the Crystal Palace again. There were seventy- 
four thousand visitors during the day. August 7, 
1 85 1, I went to see the Duke of Northumberland's 
palace, went to Westminster Abbey, new House 
of Parliament, the National Gallery of Paintings, 
etc. August 8, 185 1, I went to see the British 
Museum, where is the largest collection of antiqui- 
ties I have ever seen. There is nothing belong- 
ing to an institution of that kind but what is 
there. They have a very large collection of mum- 
mies and old tombs. August 9, 1 85 1 , went through 
the city in almost every direction. Saw some very 
fine open squares, among others, Euston Square. 

August 10, 185 1, spent the morning at St. Paul's 
Church. It was so crowded that I could not get 
near enough to the preacher to hear one word he 
said. In the afternoon I took passage in steamboat 
and went up the river as far as Chelsea, to see the 
hospital for old soldiers. There were about five 
hundred soldiers here who had been wounded in 
the wars of England. This is a beautiful place on 
the river. Took omnibus back to London. August 



42 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



II, 185 1, left London; took passage in the cars 
for Liverpool; arrived at Liverpool the same day, 
when I met with Mr. Hallman, Doctor Amos Dar- 
lington, and Davis, who had traveled with me. 
Hallman and Amos were making ready to leave in 
the next steamer for America. Darlington, Davis 
and myself agreed to go through England, Scot- 
land, Ireland, and Wales before leaving for America. 
Left Liverpool August 13, 185 1, in company 
with W. Darlington and Lewis Davis, proposing 
to take a tour through England. The first place 
we passed through of any considerable size and 
importance is Preston, which has a population of 
seventy thousand; then Lancaster, thirteen thou- 
sand inhabitants; next, Kendal, thirteen thousand; 
a rich and fertile country. After leaving Kendal, 
we left the cars and took passage in stage up Lake 
Windermere. The country is very hilly and moun- 
tainous. We passed a place which is called the 
highest inhabited ground in England. Here a 
great many sheep are fed. They are seen grazing 
on the hills in every direction. After passing a 
few miles farther, we passed down a lake two miles 
long. After we passed the lake the country be- 
came more level, and we soon arrived at a depot; 
there took the cars for Carlisle, and passed through 
a fine country, until we came to Gretna Green. 
This is the line between England and Scotland. 
From there to Dumfries, a town of fifteen thousand 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



43 



inhabitants. Went to see Burns's monument and 
the church he attended, and took a seat in the very 
pew in which he ofttimes sat. Saw the house he 
died in. Left Dumfries the 15th of August, 185 1, 
for Cummer, in the cars; then for Ayr; then hired 
a private conveyance and went to see the house in 
which Burns was born. It is a small cottage. Next 
we went to see a monument that was erected in 
honor of him at a place he much frequented. Saw 
a very old church, perhaps the oldest in Scotland, 
with many old tombs. 

AYR.' 

Went back to Ayr, and visited the place most 
frequented by Burns when on a spree. The place 
was named Tarn o'Shanterand Souter Johnny, and 
there he used to meet company and sing and drink 
all night. The name is still on the house. Ayr 
appears to be a poor place, situated on the coast, 
and has ten thousand inhabitants. 

PAISLEY. 

Left Ayr for Paisley in the cars; passed through 
Irvine, a small town in a country broken and hilly. 

Arrived at Paisley about ten o'clock a.m. Went 
to see several manufacturing establishments ; visited 
the new school-house, which is nearly finished. 
A gentleman died lately, leaving thirty-five thou- 
sand pounds to it. It stands on very high ground, 
and commands a very fine view. The population 
of Paisley is fifty thousand. The chief manufac- 



44 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



tures are woolen and cotton goods. They make 
a great many broche Paisley shawls. Left Paisley 
about four o'clock p.m., and arrived at the city of 
Glasgow about five p.m. the same day. Passed 
through a valley, a rich and fertile country, where 
wheat, rye, oats, barley, potatoes, and vegetables 
are raised in abundance, it being one of the most 
fruitful parts of Scotland. 

GLASGOW. 

Glasgow, August 17, 185 1. — Iron is said to be 
made cheaper here than elsewhere in the world. 
The ore is alloyed with a carbonaceous substance, 
which facilitates the process and reduces the cost 
of melting. Tall chimneys and black columns of 
smoke are abundant in the vicinity. The city con- 
tains three hundred thousand inhabitants, has a 
great deal of trade, and has risen rapidly from rel- 
ative insignificance. A great many stately houses 
have recently been built, and it is rapidly improving 
toward the western side of the city. A dark-brown 
stone is the principal material used for building, 
and gives the city a substantial appearance. Near 
the buildings the stone is cut, and the joints are 
tight and uniform. Most of the town being new, 
has wide and straight streets. The old part of 
the town is the reverse. The town is built on 
both sides of the Clyde, which is crossed by five 
bridges, but seven-eighths of it lies on the north. 
Davis and I visited one of the poorest streets in 



AROUND THE WORLD. 45 

the old part of the town. On entering it we came 
to a large Roman Catholic church. Saw them at 
mass. On entering the building, there was a man 
standing on each side of the door with a bowl 
in his hand. Every one who entered the door 
had to throw in at least a penny. There were a 
great many on the outside, on the large portico 
in front of the building, kneeling down. They 
appeared to be very poor, as they were all bare- 
footed, and the women had no bonnets on their 
heads. They were as filthy and ragged as they 
well could be, many of them being not more than 
half clad. I as-ked one of them why they did not 
go inside of the church. She replied, they had no 
penny to put in the bowl, and were not permitted 
to enter. We saw hundreds of human beings, 
old and young, women and children, strolling the 
streets not more than half clad, barefooted, bare- 
headed, dirty, and ragged. There were a great 
many grog-shops, which these miserable crea- 
tures of both sexes were frequenting, drinking, 
and bloated to that extent that they could scarcely 
open their eyes. We went into one of these grog- 
shops, which was entered through a dark alley 
and by a rude flight of stone steps. It was in the 
second story, and the door was near the head of 
the steps. The main groggery was closed and 
bolted, a great crowd standing around it waiting 
for admittance. After waiting a considerable time, 

5 



46 AROUND THE WORLD. 

I inquired of one of these people why they did 
not let us in. The reply was that they only ad- 
mitted eight or ten at a time, and as soon as they 
were served they would pass out another way, 
and others would pass in. I inquired what they 
charged for a drink. They said a penny a drink. 
As the place was so disagreeable, Davis would not 
stay to go through, so we made our way back as 
we came. We went about one-fourth of a mile 
farther, and it was the same. I never before saw 
so much poverty and wretchedness in any place. 
Many other streets in Glasgow were the same, 
although near the centre of the -city. All this 
part of the town is crowded with a miserable 
population, numbering not less than one hun- 
dred thousand; men and women, with children in 
their arms, and generally without shoes, stockings, 
bonnets, or sufficient clothing. Intemperance has 
many victims here, as throughout Scotland. There 
appears to be but little work for a great portion of 
the population of this city at this time. 

At eleven we went to St. John's Church. Cotton 
and woolen goods are abundantly manufactured 
here. There are about one hundred cotton and 
woolen factories in the place, fifteen thousand 
power-looms and thirty-two thousand hand-looms. 
I went to see Tennant's soda factory, which is very 
large. It covers. twelve acres, employs one thou- 
sand hands, and consumes seven hundred tons of 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



47 



coal daily. I saw the old Cathedral, the College, 
the Royal Exchange, the monument over John 
Knox, the reformer, and many other curiosities. 

EDINBURGH. 

Left Glasgow, in the cars, August 18, 1851, for 
Edinburgh. Passed through a beautiful, rich, and 
fertile country, and arrived at Edinburgh the same 
day, forty-eight miles. August 19, 185 1. I knew 
this was a city of noble and beautiful structure. 
The old town was mainly built in a deep valley, 
running northward into the Frith of Forth, with the 
Royal Palace of Holyrood in its midst, the port of 
Leith on the Forth, a few miles northward, and the 
castle on a commanding crag overlooking the old 
town from the west. The Canongate and High 
Street lead up to the castle from the east, but its 
other sides are inaccessible; there being a deep 
valley on the north, while the south end of the 
town is separated by a deep valley northward, on 
which the new town of Edinburgh is built. The 
new town is one hundred and fifty feet above the 
old town, a mile and a half square, commanding a 
magnificent view of the old town, the port of Leith, 
the broad ocean-like Frith of Forth, and a finely 
cultivated country extending southward. I think 
it has more gardens and public squares than any 
other city of its size in the world. Its streets are 
broad and handsome, its houses built entirely of 
cut stone. I never saw so many good houses and 



48 AROUND THE WORLD. 

so few indifferent ones in any place. Public mon- 
uments would seem to be the grand passion of 
Edinburgh. The most conspicuous are those of 
Lord Nelson, on Calton Hill; of Sir Walter Scott, 
on Prince's Street, which is the most magnificent 
I ever saw; also those of the pet Lord Melville, 
John Knox, and twenty or thirty others. There 
are several bridges across the rivers or gorges. 
These bridges are some of them seven hundred 
feet long and eighty feet high, and you look down 
from the roadway upon the red tiled roofs of 
eight-, ten-, twelve-, and fourteen-story houses in 
the old town, as many houses are fourteen and 
some sixteen stories high on the sides of hills. 
Every house in Edinburgh is built of stone; in 
the new part a fine quality of stone, handsomely 
cut, and of a brown or dark-gray color, being used. 
I was looking this afternoon at the Parliament 
House, which commands a fine view. Here I saw 
a piece of cannon called the Mons Meg, the largest 
ever known, banded with rough iron bands; the 
length was fifteen feet, the bore eighteen inches in 
diameter. I also saw in the castle the jewels that 
belonged to the kings of Scotland, — the crown, the 
sceptre, the sword of state, a silver rod or mace, 
etc. I also saw the house of John Knox, the prin- 
cipal churches, etc. I spent a considerable time 
in Holyrood Palace. Its top stairs are faded and 
rotten, its paintings are time-worn, its furniture 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



49 



has also felt the work of time. Its ball-room is now 
a lumber-room. The royal bed of Queen Mary 
stands just where she left it, with the same bed- 
clothes and curtains around it, which are ready to 
fall to pieces. Her workstand and furniture in 
her dressing-room, her looking-glass, the first one 
that was ever made in Scotland (it is eight by ten 
inches), her candlesticks, etc., all remain. 

Although Mary Queen of Scots has been dead 
three hundred years, these articles have been 
kept as relics ; even the ivory miniature of the 
beautiful queen is still radiant with that loveliness 
which seems unearthly and prophetic of coming 
sorrows; and it were difficult to view without 
emotion the tapestry she worked, the furniture 
she brought over from France, the little room in 
which she sat at supper with Rizzio and three or 
four friends, when the assassin rushed in through a 
secret door, stabbed her ill-starred favorite, dragged 
him, bleeding, through her bedroom into an outer 
chamber, and there left him to die, his life's blood 
flowing from fifty-six wounds, leaving the traces 
of blood which are still visible upon the floor. 
The partition still stands which the queen caused 
to be erected to shut off the scene of this horrible 
tragedy from that portion of the reception-room 
which she was still obliged to occupy. I also 
saw James the First, King of England's, bed, just 
as he left it, with the furniture, etc., which has 

5* 



5o 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



also been kept as a relic. Saw St. Giles's Church, 
the Cathedral, and the statue of Charles the 
Second. Edinburgh is entirely dependent on the 
courts, schools, and different colleges. There is 
but little manufacturing here. There are twenty- 
eight thousand more females than males in this 
city. Went to see Heriot's Hospital, probably the 
finest building in Scotland. Edinburgh is con- 
sidered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. 
The population is two hundred and fifty thousand 
souls. In the old part of the town there appears 
to be a great deal of poverty. 

STIRLING CASTLE. 

Left Edinburgh August 20, 185 1. Went to 
see Stirling Castle, where I saw the ex-Queen of 
France, also viewing this old castle. She is the 
wife of Louis Philippe, the last King of France. 
Stirling has thirteen thousand inhabitants. Left 
Stirling same day, for Perth, in the cars. 

PERTH. 

Arrived at Perth at four o'clock p.m., August 21, 
185 1. Perth is said to be one of the handsomest 
and most ancient towns in Scotland, and contains 
twenty-five thousand inhabitants ; it is situated on 
the west bank of the river Tay. It was the capital 
of Scotland before Edinburgh. Here, too, the Par- 
liament and General Assembly was held. Here 
is a splendid bridge of ten arches, nine hundred 
feet long across the Tay ; here the Reformation 



AROUND THE WORLD. 51 

commenced, in consequence of a sermon preached 
by John Knox. The principal manufacturing is 
woolen and cotton. 

STIRLING. 

Left Perth, August 21, 185 1, and went back to 
Stirling, then took a coach to Callander; passed 
through a beautiful country until we came to Cal- 
lander. After passing that place, we passed along 
the lake called Venachoir, about five miles long ; 
next we passed Achray Lake, about three miles 
long ; next we came to Loch Katrine ; there we took 
passage in a steamboat, and passed up to the head 
of the lake, which is ten miles long. After leaving 
the lake we took passage in the stage to Loch 
Lomond ; we passed another small lake on the 
way, and through a very rough and mountainous 
country. The scenery is very beautiful; the moun- 
tains all look green with pasture, and there were one 
thousand or more sheep feeding on them. Arrived 
at Inversnaid, at the head of Loch Lomond, same 
day, August 22, 185 1. Took passage from Inver- 
snaid in a steamboat, and went down the lake as 
far as Ronardennan, then waited for a steamboat 
to come up the lake from Glasgow, and take pas- 
sengers in here ; back again to head of the lake, 
which was about eighteen miles. On the way up 
we passed a mountain called Ben Lomond, three 
thousand two hundred and ten feet high. At the 
head of the lake we took passage in the stage to 



52 AROUND THE WORLD. 

Oban, and passed through a very rough and moun- 
tainous country, but it was pretty well covered 
with grass, with thousands of sheep and cattle 
feeding on the hills. The whole country from 
Loch Katrine is very hilly and mountainous, and 
but very little timber. The pasture on these hills 
was generally very good. Arrived at Oban at 
five p.m. 

OBAN. 

Oban, August 23, 185 1. — This appears to be a 
very old place ; it is situated on the coast, and con- 
tains five thousand inhabitants. Left Oban 23d, 
in a steamboat, for Greenock ; passed along the 
coast of Scotland, in among the islands, nearly all 
the way to the mouth of the Clyde. Arrived at 
Greenock the same day. 

GREENOCK. 

Greenock contains forty thousand inhabitants. 
The principal business is making machinery and 
ship-building. I went to see the tomb erected over 
the grave of Highland Mary, which contains a 
verse on it as follows : 

" My Mary dear, departed shade, 
Where is thy place of blissful rest ?" 

It was erected in 1842. Leaning on an urn above 
is an angel, neatly carved. The monument is about 
fifteen feet high and four feet square. It rained 
seyeral times during the day, and the sea was very 



AROUND THE WORLD. 53 

rough from Oban to Greenock. It has rained every- 
day since I have been in Scotland (ten days). 

BELFAST. 

Left Greenock about eight o'clock p.m., for Bel- 
fast, Ireland. Took passage in steamship ; fare, 
first cabin, ten shillings and sixpence. We arrived 
at Belfast about four o'clock A.m., after a very 
pleasant passage ; the sea was calm and the night 
pleasant. 

Belfast, Ireland, August 24, 185 1. — Sunday 
morning, went to hear Dr. Cook, a Presbyterian 
minister, preach. It rained very heavily nearly 
all day. Monday, 25th, went to see Hinds & Co.'s 
linen factory, where there were upwards of a thou- 
sand hands employed, nearly all females, of all 
ages, from ten years upwards. The most of them 
looked well and were well clad, although some of 
the spinning-rooms, where they had a steamer for 
dampening the flax, were very warm and uncom- 
fortable, and had a very disagreeable smell. I also 
went to see the linen hall, where they had a very 
large quantity of manufactured linen of' different 
kinds. Belfast is a very pretty place, containing 
some fine open squares. The most of the people 
are Protestants. Next I visited Richardson & Co.'s 
linen store. From there I took passage in a jaunt- 
ing-car, and went out to the bleaching works near 
Lisburn. I saw them putting the linen through 
the different processes for bleaching and finishing. 



54 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



The finishing is done by putting it on large iron 
rollers, and then beating it with stampers. 

* LISBURN. 

From there to Lisburn, a town of about five thou- 
sand inhabitants. From Lisburn I went back to 
Belfast, which has a population of one hundred 
thousand. Left Belfast August 25, 185 1 , in the 
cars for Ballymena; we passed through Antrim, 
a town of three thousand inhabitants, and through 
a beautiful country where they raised wheat, oats, 
and vegetables of all kinds in abundance. 

BALLYMENA. 

Ballymena, August 26, 185 1. — I went out this 
morning to see the bleaching-green, which was a 
beautiful place ; went out half a mile from the 
town to the poor-house, which was occupied at the 
time by two hundred paupers. I was told they 
had thirteen thousand in 1846 and 1847, the time 
of the famine in Ireland. It appeared to be well 
conducted, and everything clean and neat. 

COLERAINE. 

Left Ballymena for Coleraine ; took passage in 
the stage ; passed through a low, boggy marsh 
nearly all the way, where there is abundance of 
peat. Not one habitation in ten outside of the 
town is fit for human beings to live in ; they are 
low, crammed hovels of stone, mud, and straw. 
giant's causeway. 
Coleraine, August 27, 185 1. — Mr. Darlington, 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



55 



Davis, Jones, Curtin, and myself took passage in 
jaunting-cars to the Giant's Causeway, by way of 
Port Rush ; it is situated on the north coast of 
Ireland, and is an astonishing work of nature. It 
consists of vast numbers of perpendicular columns 
of basaltic rock from two to three hundred feet 
high ; some three, some four, some five, some six, 
even seven, eight, nine cones, which were wedged 
in so as to fit every joint, as if it had been done 
by the most ingenious artist. It is certainly one 
of the greatest curiosities of nature I ever saw. 
There are also two caves at this place, one of them 
being three hundred feet long and sixty feet high. 
I went into it from the coast side ; the other is five 
hundred feet long and sixty feet high. The one I 
went into is in the shape of a T. The rocks along 
the coast are very bold, and are formed of lime- 
stone and flint. After leaving the Causeway, went 
back to Coleraine by way of Bush Mills, where, it 
is said, they make the best whisky in Ireland. 

COLERAINE. 

Coleraine has a population of thirteen thousand. 
It is situated on the banks of the river Bann, which 
empties into the sea five miles below. Then to 
Newtown-Limavaddy; then to Londonderry; then 
to Lifford and Strabane ; then to Ballybofey ; then 
to Omagh ; then to Portadown ; then to Armagh ; 
then to Newry and Warrenpoint; then to Dudnalk; 
then to Castle Bellingham; then to Drogheda; then 



56 AROUND THE WORLD. 

to Dublin, the capital of Ireland ; then to Naas ; 
then to Rosera ; then to Maryborough; then to 
Templemore; then to Thurles; then to Charleville; 
then to Mallow ; then took the stage for the Lakes 
of Killarney, by way of Millstreet and Killarney ; 
went through the lake in every direction we could, 
and back to Killarney Hotel. Next day went 
back to Mallow ; then to Cork ; then to Cloyne, to 
Queenstown, or Cove of Cork ; then back to Cork, 
Mallow, and Dublin, by Kingstown ; then took a 
steamer and crossed the Channel to Wales ; then 
took the cars to the Tubular Bridge, which spans 
an arm of the sea, and is one of the greatest 
bridges I ever saw. From there to the Bangor 
slate quarries, several hundred feet deep ; then 
to Chester ; then to Liverpool. Went back to 
London. Went to see the glass factories, and 
down the Thames River and back to London. 

LIVERPOOL. 

From there we went to Liverpool, and took pas- 
sage in the City of Manchester to Philadelphia. 
Arrived at Philadelphia in eighteen days, by a nice 
passage. Then home to Phcenixville. Away from 
home about seven months in 1851. 

CHICAGO. 

In 1855 I started for Chicago; went to Daven- 
port ; went across Iowa to Fort Des Moines ; went 
through the State to Council Bluffs ; went across 
the Missouri River to Omaha : not more than five 



AROUND THE WORLD. 57 

or six houses built in that city; then back. Took 
a boat down the Missouri River to St. Louis, stop- 
ping at all the towns on the river. 

ST. LOUIS. 

I stayed at St. Louis about two weeks, and 
then started up the river to Davenport. Then I 
bought about eighteen hundred acres of land at 
Government prices ($1.25 per acre). I kept it 
two years, and then commenced selling it. I 
made out very well with the land. I still have 
one farm. I was offered twelve dollars per acre 
this spring (1874). 

NEW ORLEANS. 

I started at Davenport to go down the Missis- 
sippi River to New Orleans ; stayed there about 
three weeks. 

CUBA. 

I then took passage on the Black Eagle, the 25th 
day of December, 1855, for Cuba. It was a very 
rough passage ; the captain said it was the roughest 
passage he ever had. We came to Havana after 
sundown, and they would not let us in. So we 
took to the sea, and got in the next day about ten 
o'clock a.m. We had some difficulty in getting 
in on account of passports. I stayed in Cuba one 
winter. I traveled some eight hundred miles on 
the island. There was a man went with us from 
New Orleans who had the consumption. He 
traveled with us on the island, came back to 



58 AROUND THE WORLD. 

Havana, and died. He came into my room, and 
said he could not get his breath. I got up, and 
wanted him to lie down ; he would not. I went 
to bed again. He breathed very hard. I got up 
again, and insisted on him to take the bed. He 
took the bed and laid down, and presently I went 
out for the family. They came in, and he died. 
We buried him in a vault. . It cost some money to 
bury him. Two days after he was buried, we started 
for America. We landed at Key West, in Florida. 
We sailed for Charleston ; stayed there ten days. 
I went from there to Mobile ; stopped at all the 
towns on the road. 

MOBILE. 

Mobile is a very fine city ; contains two hundred 
thousand inhabitants. 

WASHINGTON. 

I left Mobile for Washington, D. C. Stayed 
there ten days. From there home to Phcenixville. 
Stayed six months in 1855 and 1856. 
m'gregor's. 

In 1858 I made a trip to Chicago; stayed there 
four days ; went to McGregor's ; from there to where 
my land was situated ; sold a good quantity of it 
at a fair price. Away from home three months ; 
back to Phoenixville. 

In 1859 I ma de another trip to Chicago ; stayed 
two days ; went to McGregor's, on the Mississippi 
River; from there to many parts of the State of 



AROUND THE WORLD. 59 

Iowa. I sold several hundred acres of land at 
good price. Came back to the river. 

ST. PAUL. 

Went up the river to St. Paul; from there to 
Minneapolis; saw the Falls of St. Anthony, a great 
affair. I went to see many cities and towns in the 
State. Went back to St. Paul; down the river to 
La Crosse, to Madison, to Milwaukee; then across 
Lake Michigan to Grand Haven; very rough pas- 
sage; behind time. The captain said it was very 
rough; laid over eight hours. 

DETROIT. 

From there to Detroit. Crossed the channel to 
Canada; went to London, then to Toronto, a very 
fine city, then to Montreal, a beautiful city, building 
a tubular bridge over the St. Lawrence; then down 
the river to Lake St. Peter, and to many places 
where they had thousands of thousands of feet of 
lumber stowed away. 

QUEBEC. 

Quebec is a fine city. Has a fort from which 
the officers told me they could hit a vessel down 
the St. Lawrence five miles. The officers took me 
through every part of the fort. To Lancaster; to 
the White Mountains, in New Hampshire. 

PORTLAND. 

From there to Portland, Maine, to Concord, to 
Boston, one of the finest cities, perhaps, almost 
in the world, to Providence, a fine city, to Hart- 



60 AROUND THE WORLD. 

ford, to New Haven, to New York, to Philadelphia, 
to Phoenixville. Away five months from home, 
1859. 

ARMY. 

"Julys, 1861. 

" Pass Mr. Vanderslice three days over the 
bridge and within the lines (Potomac). 

" By order of General Mansfield, commanding. 

" Drake De Key, 
" Aid-de-Camp." 

July 14, 1 861, went to Fort Monroe. 
" Pass Mr. Vanderslice to Camp Hamilton and 
within the fort for two days. 

" Captain P. A. Duns, 
" Provost-Marshal." 

" Washington, July 29, 1861. 
" Pass John Vanderslice over the bridge and 
within the lines (Potomac) one day. 

" By order of General Mansfield, commanding. 

" Drake De Key, 
" Aid-de-Camp ." 

"Washington, D. C, January 31, 1863. 
" The bearer, J. Vanderslice, and daughter, have 
permission to visit the company of the Potomac 
for the purpose of sick husband Doct. 
" By order of Secretary of War. 

" M. Omer." 



AROUND THE WORLD. 6 1 

" HEADQUARTERS OF FIRST DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF SUSQUE- 
HANNA, July 3, 1863. 

" Guards, — Pass J. Vanderslice through the lines 
to Gettysburg. 

" General W. L. Smith. 

" R. H. Lamborn, 
" Captain and Aid-de-CampT 

ARMY. 

July I, 1863, went out with the army from Phce- 
nixville, Pennsylvania, to Harrisburg; stayed there 
a few days; enlisted in the army until Lee was 
driven out of Pennsylvania and Maryland, and 
went to Gettysburg after the road was opened; 
stayed but a few hours, when Lee's army crossed 
the Potomac and came up and had a battle. We 
started back in the cars; put out all the lights. 
Lee's cavalry went to burn a bridge, but we got 
over before it was burned; went to Carlisle, and 
stationed there two nights. Lee's cavalry came in 
sight. This night we packed up and went below 
Carlisle, then encamped. I got a pass to go to 
Harrisburg. The army soon came to the Sus- 
quehanna; stayed a few days, when we heard 
that Lee's army had burned the barracks and a 
good part of Carlisle. We soon marched to 
Carlisle, and from there toward Gettysburg ; lay 
on the mountain, expecting the rebs to come 
back that way. Laid there until after the battle 
was over. 

6* 



62 AROUND THE WORLD. 

GETTYSBURG. 

I got a pass, with J. H. Sultzen, to visit Gettys- 
burg and see the fatal result of the battle. Saw 
hundreds of soldiers on the battle-field in dif- 
ferent places; was upon Round Top. Stayed in 
Gettysburg three days, then went to the army. 
Went through different towns to Carlisle, where 
the army laid. Had a small battle there. We 
saw the rebels about eight hundred yards off. The 
soldiers, many of them, fired at them. I fired also. 
There was a bullet came over us and struck a tree, 
where there was a boy standing. The bullet 
struck just above his head. He scampered away 
very quick. That night they decamped and went 
to Williamsport. Many of them crossed over 
the Potomac, and many went to Falling Waters 
before they could cross. The cavalry overtook 
them and slew hundreds of them. I went down 
the river Potomac. At Williamsport the rebels on 
the other side fired over to us, and we made off, 
and, going up the street, a ball passed over our 
heads and struck a house just before us. Here at 
Williamsport I got discharged from the army, and 
went to Falling Waters, where we saw hundreds 
of men lying dead over the field and thousands 
of muskets and rifles lying in the field. Went 
back to Baltimore; from there to Philadelphia, and 
home to Phcenixville. Away from home fifty- 
three days. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 63 

" Headquarters, Light Division, Waynesburg. 

"July 11, 1863. 

" Guards of Patrol, — Pass J. S. Seltzler and John 

Vanderslice through our lines. 

" By order of Killked and Seikel. 

" Captain Mansfield." 

ARMY. 
"Fort Washington, Provost-Marshal's Office, 
" Bridgeport, Columbia County, July 18, 1863. 
" Guards at the bridge will pass John Vanderslice 
to Harrisburg and return. 

" By order of Captain Wm. B. Mann, 

' 'Provost-Marshal. ' ' 

" Headquarters, Provost-Marshal's Office. 

"July 19, 1863. 

" Picket Patrols, — Pass John Vanderslice through 

the pass to the Pennsylvania Reserves and return. 

" R. H. Holmes." 

kussert. 
October I, 1863. — In Phcenixville I went into a 
speculation, in the Kussert Farm Oil Company. 
John Vanderslice bought four hundred and fifty 
shares, Greene County, Pennsylvania, in the capital 
stock of Kansas Oil Company, the 27th day of 
October, 1865. J. C. Reeves, Secretary; William 
C. Baker, President. I also went into more Kussert 
Oil Farm Company, Greene County, Pennsylvania: 
four hundred shares, at five dollars per share. J. 
Vanderslice, October 30, 1865. J. C. Reeves, Sec- 



64 AROUND THE WORLD 

retary ; William C. Baker, President. I also went 
into more Kussert Oil Company, Greene County, 
Pennsylvania : four hundred shares, at five dollars 
per share. John Vanderslice, October 30, 1865. 
J. C. Reeves, Secretary; William C. Baker, Presi- 
dent. I also went into more Kussert Oil Company, 
Greene County, Pennsylvania: four hundred shares, 
at five dollars per share. J. Vanderslice, November 
4, 1865. J. C. Reeves, Secretary; W.C. Baker, Presi- 
dent. I also went into another speculation in the 
Golden Gate of Montana Mining Company. J. 
Vanderslice bought one hundred and fifty-six 
shares, at ten dollars per share, November 24, 
1865. Joseph Morse, Secretary; J. R. Weeks, 
President. Golden Gate of Montana Mining Com- 
pany, J. Vanderslice bought one hundred and fifty- 
seven shares, at ten dollars per share, November 
30, 1865. Joseph Morse, Secretary, J. R. Weeks, 
President. Golden Gate of Montana Mining Com- 
pany, J. Vanderslice bought one hundred shares, 
at ten dollars per share, July 9, 1866. Joseph 
Morse, Secretary ; J. R. Weeks, President. I also 
bought several other shares at Oil City ; paid the 
money for the shares. After all, the stock is not 
worth one cent, and all I mentioned above is all 
lost. July 20, 1868. 

WASHINGTON. 

October 11, 1868. — Left Phcenixville through 
Philadelphia and Baltimore for Washington, D. C. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 65 

From there took a boat, went down the Potomac 
and cars to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to Richmond, 
the capital of Virginia, a fine city, to Scottsville, 
to Marysville, to Halifax, to Yanceyville, to Greens- 
borough, to Lexington, to Salisbury, where the 
rebels punished our soldiers, to Concord, to Char- 
lotte, to Yorkville, to Unionville, to Lawrenceville, 
to Edgefield, to Augusta, a fine city, to Jackson- 
boro', to Savannah, — a fine city ; streets laid out 
very finely and many public buildings, — to Charles- 
ton, South Carolina. 

FORT SUMTER. 

Fort Sumter, all in ruins ; then to Charleston, — 
stayed there five days. Then to Summersville; then 
to Branchville, to Blackville, to Aiken, — one of 
the finest places in South Carolina for the benefit 
of a person's health if sick, — to Augusta, in 
Georgia, to Crawford, to Covington, to Jackson, 
to Macon, — a fine city; fine buildings and squares, 
— to Howardsville, to Darien, to Brunswick, St. 
Simon's Sound, on the Atlantic Ocean, — stayed 
there eight days, — to Fernandina, to St. John's 
River. 

JACKSONVILLE. 

Jacksonville, Alabama, up the river to Mandurin, 
to Picolata, opposite to St. Augustine, to Pilatka. 
Opposite, across the river, is an orange grove, with 
thousands of trees, orange and lemon, in full bear- 
ing, thousands of them ; the proprietor gave me 



66 AROUND THE WORLD. 

plenty of both kinds ; and up the river, passing 
many towns; then back to Jacksonville, — stayed 
ten days ; then to Alligator, to Cedar Keys, on 
the Gulf of Mexico, — stayed five days ; then back 
to San Pedro ; then to 

TALLAHASSEE, 

the capital of Florida, to Quincy, to Bairnbridge, 
to Hamburg, to Columbus, — a fine city; fine build- 
ings and many squares, — to Tuskegee, to Mont- 
gomery, the capital of Alabama, — a beautiful city, 
to 

PENSACOLA, 

on the Gulf of Mexico; then back by railroad 
and steamer until we came to Mobile. There 
the yellow fever was very bad ; two-thirds of the 
inhabitants left the town, — stayed four days, 
then to 

NEW ORLEANS, 

— stayed ten days. Left New Orleans for Galveston 
by rail and water. 

GALVESTON. 

Galveston is a fine city, — splendid buildings. 
Went from Galveston by railway through Texas ; 
passed many cities and towns ; most excellent 
land, and some well improved. Went back to 
Galveston ; then to New Orleans by steamer and 
railroad, — stayed at New Orleans five days; then 
up the Mississippi River to Red River, to Baton 
Rouge, to Port Hudson, Bayou Sara; then up 



AROUND THE WORLD. 67 

Red River to Alexandria, to Carnfet, to Port 
Caddo, to Shrevesport ; then up the little Red 
River to Texas, — a beautiful country ; then back 
the Red River to Mississippi ; then to Natchez, to 
Rodney, to Vicksburg, to Princeton, to Bolivar, to 
Mark, Arkansas River; then to Peyton, then to 
Memphis, then to Bolivar, then Savannah, then 
Lawrenceburg, then Columbia, then Franklin, then 
Nashville, the capital of Tennessee, — a first-rate 
city ; then Greenville, Kentucky ; then Louisville, 
a fine city ; then through Illinois to St. Louis, — a 
fine city; from there to Alton, from there to Spring- 
field, where we saw Lincoln's monument ; then to 
Bloomington, to Chicago; from thereto Sandusky; 
then to Pittsburg ; then to Philadelphia ; then Phce- 
nixville. Away from home four and a half months, 
in 1868 and 1869. 

CALIFORNIA. 

I started for California, May, 1871. I went to 
St. Louis ; went down to the Iron Mountain, 
where they quarry out thousands of tons of ore ; 
saw the blast-furnaces, went over the railroad to 
San Francisco ; about twenty-one days going out; 
stopped at all the places worth seeing. I trav- 
eled all over the State, down the valleys and up 
the valleys, to the Geyser, up one valley and down 
the other over Hog's Back, four miles of road 
just the width of the wagon ; not more than 
eighteen inches each side of the road, and if the 



68 AROUND THE WORLD. 

wagon went down it would fall one thousand feet, 
five hundred feet, three hundred feet, etc. Got into 
a splendid valley back of San Francisco; from San 
Francisco to Sacramento City, Marysville, Reading, 
through Oregon to Portland, over one of the rough- 
est roads I ever saw; from there to Washington, 
to Olympia, to see where the great railroads end; 
down the Olympia to Vancouver's Island, also to 
British Columbia, where there are gold mines ; came 
back to the Columbia River, sailed up in a steam- 
boat, passed three falls, saw the Indians fishing for 
salmon ; came back to Portland ; then took a steamer 
back to San Francisco ; stayed there one week ; 
then took a steamship down the Pacific Ocean to 
Panama ; stopped at many places on the coast or 
towns ; then by Panama Railroad to Aspinwall ; 
then by steamship to New York, passing many 
islands ; on the passage thirty-one days ; then to 
Philadelphia ; then to Phcenixville. Away nearly 
seven months in 187 1. I will try and give you 
an account of my travels through Europe. 

GLASGOW. 

I left New York 15th day of June, 1873. We 
landed at Glasgow on the 25th day of June, after 
a fine passage. The chief portion of Glasgow 
lies on the north bank of the Clyde, which is 
crossed by five bridges, and lined with magnificent 
quays. Glasgow is noted for the quantity and 
purity of its supply of fresh water, brought through 



AROUND THE WORLD. 69 

tunnels, aqueducts, and reservoirs from Cussie, 
Loch Katrine, a distance of thirty-four miles ; the 
supply being equal to twenty-four million gallons 
daily. The Great Western Cooking Depot, the ob- 
ject of which is to provide cheap food for the 
working classes ; this depot, with its numerous 
branches, supplies a good, substantial breakfast 
for threepence, and dinner, consisting of soup, 
meat, potatoes, and pudding, for fourpence half- 
penny. Here is a city importing food from us 
and supplying it to its workmen in good condi- 
tion, — good breakfasts and dinners, fifteen cents 
per day. 

The first and most prominent object to be seen 
in Glasgow is the Cathedral, which, I think, ranks 
next to Westminster in the Kingdom, and is cer- 
tainly equal to the far-famed Salisbury Cathedral 
for purity of style. The most conspicuous monu- 
ment is that erected to the memory of John Knox, 
the great reformer. It is situated on the highest 
elevation of the grounds, and the statue is placed 
on the top of a fine Doric column ; and he whom 
Scotland delights to honor looks down upon the 
tombs of many of the great who are buried around. 
Glasgow possesses a university of high repute as 
a seat of learning. The Royal Exchange, situated 
in the centre of Exchange Square, is, perhaps, the 
finest building in Glasgow. The Royal Bank, 
which is situated behind the Exchange Square, is 

7 



7° 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



also a very beautiful building. Visitors are gen- 
erally admitted into Bothwell Castle on Tuesdays 
and Fridays; the building is an oblong quadrangle, 
built in Norman style of architecture, two hundred 
and thirty-four feet long and one hundred feet 
wide; the walls are thirteen feet thick and sixty 
feet high ; there is an immense circular dungeon, 
called Wallace's Beef Barrel, twenty-five feet deep 
by twelve wide ; the ruins, which are covered with 
ivy and beautiful flowers, was once the residence 
of the haughty chieftain, Sir Andrew Murray, who 
was the first to join the hero Wallace, and the last 
to leave him. Glasgow is the commercial city of 
Scotland, and is the most populous. It contains 
five hundred thousand inhabitants. The principal 
hotel is Meelen's, in St. Vincent Street. Stayed 
there two days, and from there to Edinburgh ; 
time, two hours, via Lennox Town, Falkirk, and 
Linlithgow. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, 
and is situated on two ridges of hills, within two 
miles of the Frith of Forth, and contains two hun- 
dred thousand inhabitants. 

EDINBURGH. 

Edinburgh, for its size, is one of the most im- 
posing, interesting, and magnificent cities in Eu- 
rope. Through its centre a deep, wild, and rocky 
ravine extends, dividing the city into the old and 
new towns. On Prince's Street most of the hotels 
are located. Here is Philip Cockburn's Temper- 



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71 



ance Hotel ; stayed there three days. Sir Walter 
Scott's monument is two hundred feet high, and 
has two hundred and eighty-seven steps leading to 
the top of the gallery. St. Giles' Cathedral is mag- 
nificent in its appearance. The University of Edin- 
burgh, founded by James VI., is a fine educational 
establishment, having a library containing one 
hundred thousand volumes. The next important 
memorial of Scotland's ancient greatness is the 
remains of Holyrood ; it was a magnificent build- 
ing in former days. Both palace and abbey are open 
to the public every day, except Sundays. The 
palace was the ancient residence of Scottish roy- 
alty. The most interesting rooms in the palace are 
those last occupied by the unfortunate Mary ; her 
bed-chamber remains in the same state as when 
she left it, and the cabinet where her secretary and 
favorite Rizzio was murdered is shown, with marks 
of his blood still upon the floor. The roofless choir 
is shown where once stood the altar before which 
the beautiful Mary, the next nearest heir to the 
English crown, and Henry Darnley were united. 
In the picture-gallery are some frightfully-executed 
portraits of over one hundred of Scotland's kings, 
evidently painted by the same hand and from im- 
agination. We now leave Edinburgh for Liverpool, 
passing many towns on the way. 

LIVERPOOL. 

Liverpool is situated on the east side of the 



72 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



river Mersey, near its mouth, and extends three 
miles in length along its banks. It is the second 
city in the Kingdom, and contains about six hun- 
dred thousand inhabitants. Liverpool is noted for 
the magnificence of its docks, which are constructed 
on the most stupendous scale, covering, with the 
dry docks, two hundred acres, fifteen miles of 
quays. Nearly one-third of its trade is with the 
United States. The cotton which formerly arrived 
here annually amounted to two million five hun- 
dred thousand bales. The Zoological Gardens cover 
ten acres of ground, and are tastefully arranged. 
We visited more than one thousand places in 
Liverpool ; stayed there two days. After leav- 
ing Liverpool, we started for Manchester, then 
to London. 

LONDON. 

London is the metropolis of the United King- 
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the most 
wealthy city in the world. Population in 1873, 
almost three million two hundred thousand, about 
one million increase in twenty-two years. The 
present increase is about forty-four thousand per 
annum, or a birth about every four minutes. The 
city covers an extent of one hundred and forty 
square miles: fourteen miles long and ten broad; 
three hundred and sixty thousand houses are occu- 
pied by the population of the city; the cost of food 
is supposed to be eight hundred thousand dollars 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



73 



per day ; and although the climate of London is 
by no means pleasant, its sanitary advantages over 
other capitals are remarkable. According to the 
statistics, out of every thousand inhabitants twenty- 
four die annually in London, while in Berlin and 
Paris twenty-eight, and St. Petersburg forty-one, 
out of the same number of population. 

The streets are mostly wide, clean, and well 
paved ; the houses plain and substantial ; the archi- 
tecture of the club and public buildings is substan- 
tial and elegant. The Tower of London is sup- 
posed to have been commenced by Julius Caesar. 
This celebrated fortress is situated at the eastern 
extremity of the city, and is separated from the 
thickly-populated portion of the city by what is 
called Tower Hill. It covers twelve acres of ground, 
and is surrounded by a moat, which since 1843 
has been used as a garden. On the river-side is an 
entrance called the Traitor's Gate, through which 
persons of state were conveyed in boats after their 
trial. Within the famous structure are numerous 
buildings, including the Armory, Jewel-House, 
White Tower, St. Peter's Tower, Bloody Tower, 
where Richard III. murdered his nephew, the 
tower where the Duke of Clarence was drowned 
in a butt of Malmsey wine, the Brick Tower in 
which Lady Jane Grey was confined, the Beau- 
champ Tower, the prison of Anne Boleyn, and 
numerous other buildings. 

7* 



74 AROUND THE WORLD. 

In addition to the tower being originally used 
as a fortress, it was the residence of the monarchs 
of England down to the time of Elizabeth, and a 
prison for state criminals, and numerous are the 
kings, queens, warriors, and statesmen who have 
not only been imprisoned, but murdered within 
the walls. The histories of Lady Jane Grey, 
Catharine Howard, Anne Boleyn, Sir Walter 
Raleigh, Sir Thomas More, William Wallace, and 
King John of France, do they not live in the re- 
membrance of every reader of history ? 

In addition to the historic points of interest 
which I visited, I will be conducted through the 
Armories and Jewel-House, and, after waiting 
until a party is collected, which is done every 
half-hour, a warden dressed as a yeoman of the 
time of Henry VIII. will show me through the 
Armory, and then intrust me to the care of a 
female, who will describe the use and value of the 
regalia in the Jewel-House. 

The Bank of England is the most extensive bank- 
ing institution in the world ; is situated north of the 
Royal Exchange. About one thousand four hun- 
dred clerks are constantly employed here, at sal- 
aries ranging from three hundred to six thousand 
dollars per annum. The building is rather low, 
and peculiar in appearance. With the courts, it 
includes an area of about eight acres. Many of the 
offices are open to visitors, but the private ones can 



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75 



only be visited by an order from the directors. 
The most interesting apartments are the bullion- 
office, weighing-office, treasury, and the apartment 
where the bank-notes are printed: Here is a steam- 
engine, which moves printing-machines, plate- 
presses, etc., and from its beautiful movement forms 
a very interesting sight. The management of the 
bank is invested in a governor, deputy-governor, 
and twenty-four directors. I noticed especially the 
remarkable weighing machine. 

The General Post-Office, St. Martin's-le-Grand, 
is a spacious building, in Ionic style, with lofty 
central porticoes. The establishment employs more 
than two thousand clerks, carriers, etc. Into the 
different parts of the United Kingdom about six 
hundred millions of letters are delivered annually, 
one hundred and fifty millions in London alone, 
in addition to seventy-four million newspapers 
and five million books and parcels. The annual 
postage revenue amounts to seventeen million 
dollars. 

The principal bridges of London are, first, the 
London Bridge, built of granite, between 1825 
and 183 1. It cost ten million dollars; it is nine 
hundred feet long and fifty-four feet wide. The 
lamp-posts are made of cannon taken during the 
Peninsular war. One hundred thousand people 
pass over this bridge every day ; it is the longest 
bridge, or that nearest the sea. 



76 AROUND THE WORLD. 

The next bridge in order is the Southeastern 
Railway Bridge, by which Charing Cross is con- 
nected with Canon Street terminus. Blackfriars' 
Bridge, built between 1864 and 1869, of iron, 
one thousand two hundred and seventy feet long 
and seventy-five wide. Dover Bridge, for rail- 
roads. Hungerford Bridge, built of iron, in 1863, 
for Charing Cross railway station ; foot passen- 
gers alone cross. Waterloo Bridge is a splendid 
specimen of substantial architecture ; it was built 
by a private company, between 181 1 and 18 16; it 
is one thousand three hundred feet long and forty- 
three feet wide ; the toll is one cent, which amounts 
to fifty thousand dollars annually. Westminster 
Bridge is the most elegant of all the London 
bridges. It was finished in 1862; it is constructed 
of iron on stone piers, is one thousand one hun- 
dred and sixty feet long and eighty-five wide, 
probably the widest in the world. From this 
bridge a most excellent view can be had of the 
river front of the beautiful House of Parliament. 
There is also Lambeth Bridge, Vauxhall, Pimlico 
Railway Bridge, and Pimlico Suspension Bridge. 
The Thames Tunnel, beneath the bed of the 
Thames, was originally intended for carriages ; it 
was commenced in 1825, finished and opened to 
the public in 1843; Brunei was the architect; its 
total cost was nearly two million five hundred 
thousand dollars; it is now used as a railway, con- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 77 

necting the Great Eastern and North London Rail- 
ways. 

The principal docks of London are the St. Cath- 
arine's Docks, situated near the Tower, covering 
an area of twenty-four acres, of which eleven are 
water. The cost of this immense undertaking was 
over eight million dollars ; twelve hundred houses 
were pulled down to make room for them. Lon- 
don Docks cover ninety acres, thirty-four of which 
are water, the rest being warehouses and vaults, 
where there are thousands and thousands of barrels 
of wine. There are also the East India Docks, 
the West India Docks, Surrey Docks, Millwell 
Docks, etc. Many other places of interest were 
visited. Stayed in London five days, then left for 
Paris. 

PARIS. 

The inhabitants of Paris have long considered 
themselves at the head of European civilization, 
and, if such an eminence can be obtained by mere 
external polish, they deserve it. " In matters of 
dress and fashion the lead is conceded to them 
by a kind of universal consent, and, though their 
manners have suffered considerably by the stormy 
periods through which they have passed, their 
native politeness has not been lost. None succeed 
better, not only in practicing the agreeable arts of 
life, but in observing the outward decencies of so- 
ciety. Beneath this pleasing surface, however, a 



78 AROUND THE WORLD. 

strong and polluted current is perpetually running, 
and there is no part of the world where the more 
substantial virtues are more rare and where so 
much dissoluteness exists within such narrow 
limits. 

The order of the Legion of Honor was es- 
tablished in 1802. The emperor was then grand 
master. It has now over fifty-five thousand mem- 
bers. Nearly every crowned head in Europe is a 
member of it. Attached to this order is the Mai- 
sons Imperiales, an establishment devoted to the 
instruction of sisters, daughters, and nieces of the 
members of the order. It was established by 
Napoleon I. Four hundred pupils receive here 
a finished education at the expense of the govern- 
ment. They all dress in black, with black bonnets, 
and are subject to the most rigid discipline. To 
obtain permission to visit the institution, address 
the Grand Chancellor, Rue de Ville. 

Paris is considered at present one of the best 
fortified cities in the world. In 1841 about forty 
million dollars were granted for completing the 
present fortifications. At about a mile and a half 
outside the former octroi walls runs a wall about 
forty-seven feet high, bastioned and terraced, in 
addition to which are seventeen outworks or forts, 
which include the principal suburbs of Paris, and 
command the approach in every direction. They 
are calculated for twenty-seven hundred and sixty 



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79 



gun-carriages, five hundred and seventy-four ram- 
part guns, twenty-two hundred and thirty-eight 
mortars or cannons, and twenty thousand muskets. 
The fortifications have been greatly damaged dur- 
ing the two late sieges, and required a large amount 
of reparation. 

Paris has a great many objects of interest to 
attract the attention of travelers. I consider it one 
of the most beautiful places in the world. Stayed 
at Paris four days. 

GENEVA. 

Geneva is beautifully situated at the southern 
extremity of Lake Geneva, on the banks of the 
Rhone. Contains forty-two thousand inhabitants. 
The Paix, kept by Mr. Koeler, long known as one 
of the best managers in Switzerland, is elegantly 
furnished, and commands a fine position. The 
people of Geneva are celebrated for their industry. 
Nearly four thousand persons are employed in the 
manufacture of watches, over seventy-five thousand 
being made yearly. Watches are much cheaper 
here than in America. The opportunity of pur- 
chasing these articles should not be lost. The 
house of Charles Martin & Co., Grand Quai, is 
justly celebrated for the excellence and accuracy 
of its time-keepers, its variety of chains, jewels, 
and music-boxes. They are guaranteed all gold 
of eighteen carats. 

We went through the watch-factories, and saw 



80 AROUND THE WORLD. 

them make every wheel in the watch. Each 
person does one kind. 

GENEVA LAKE. 

We left Geneva by way of Geneva Lake, and 
then went to the head of the lake and through two 
other lakes, and then to Basle, which is situated 
on the banks of the Rhine. It is the capital of the 
canton, and contains forty-five thousand inhabit- 
ants. 

STRASBOURG. 

Went to Strasbourg, the chief city in the depart- 
ment Bas-Rhin. It contains seventy thousand in- 
habitants. The principal object of interest, and one 
to which most travelers resort after their arrival, 
is the Cathedral or Minster. This masterpiece of 
architecture is the work of Erwin von Steinbach, 
continued after his death by his son and daughter 
Sabina. It was begun in 1277 and finished in 
1601. John Hultz, of Cologne, completed the 
work. The spire is remarkable as being the high- 
est in the world, standing five hundred feet above 
the level of the Cathedral floor. It is twenty-five 
feet higher than the pyramid of Cheops, at Cairo, 
although the pyramid must have been about the 
same height, but has been worn away by the action 
of the atmosphere, the surface of the top being 
now about fifteen feet in diameter. The view from 
the top of the spire is most grand, — the winding 
of the Rhine, the Vosges Mountains of France, and 



AROUND THE WORLD. 8 1 

the Black Forest of Germany, the scene of so 
many historical romances; a bird's-eye view of 
the whole panorama will reward the adventurous 
sight-seers. The ascent cannot be made without 
some danger, and requires considerable nerve and 
steadiness of head. The stone-work is so very 
open that in case of sudden attack of giddiness or 
slipping of the foot the body, might pass through. 
There have been several such accidents. Two- 
thirds of the way up there is a watchman's station, 
where persons live, to keep a lookout for fires. 
Here a visitors' register is kept, and you can pur- 
chase prints, plans, and books descriptive of the 
Cathedral. The interior is rich in stained glass, 
but the most remarkable object of interest it con- 
tains is its world-renowned clock, invented three 
hundred years ago. It would fill a volume to de- 
scribe it. When you visit it be particular to be 
present at twelve o'clock precisely, as that is the 
only time during the twelve hours when the cock 
crows and all the images, puppets, etc., are set in 
motion. I went to the top of the steeple twice, 
in 185 1 and 1873. The Prussians during the late 
war fired balls into the Cathedral and damaged it 
very much. Stayed one day in Strasbourg. 

BADEN BADEN. 

Then to Baden Baden, the most beautiful water- 
ing-place in Germany; it is situated in a lovely 
valley, inclosed by the towering heights of the 



82 AROUND THE WORLD. 

Black Forest. The resident population is about 
six thousand ; but, as many have it, forty thousand 
strangers have visited it in a single season. Gam- 
bling is all done away with ; the government 
stopped it in 185 1. I have seen men and women 
gamble from ten a.m. to eleven p.m. in the greatest 
style. Baden-Baden is the annual resort of idle 
pleasure-seekers and invalids from all parts of the 
world ; its springs have been long and favorably 
known, even since the days of the Romans, and the 
new palace now belonging to the Grand Duke occu- 
pies the site of a Roman villa and bath. The water 
of the springs is warm ; the principal one has a tem- 
perature of one hundred and fifty-three degrees 
Fahrenheit ; the taste is saltish, and when drank as 
it issues from the spring, it resembles weak broth ; 
it is very clear, but has a peculiar, disagreeable 
smell ; the quality is saline, with a mixture of 
muriatic and carbonic acids, and small portions of 
silax and oxide of iron. The hot springs are 
thirteen in number. The portion of the town 
where they issue is called Hill; a building is 
erected over the principal spring. The vapor 
baths are situated back of the Catholic Church. 
Baths may be taken in all the various styles, in- 
cluding Russian baths. Here I took a Russian 
bath, which was most magnificent ; there are six 
apartments. There are some eight or ten other 
baths, each having from ten to forty separate 



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83 



chambers. We stayed here two days, then went 
down the Rhine, and passed all the cities as far as 
Cologne. 

COLOGNE. 

Cologne is situated on the left side of the river, 
and contains one hundred and twenty-five thousand 
one hundred and seventy-two inhabitants. It is 
the capital of the province, and is the third city of 
importance in the Prussian Kingdom ; it is built 
in the form of a crescent, close to the water, and 
is strongly fortified, the walls forming a circuit 
of nearly seven miles. Cologne is a place of great 
antiquity, and was of considerable importance 
during the Roman period. A Roman colony 
was planted in it by Agrippina, daughter of the 
Emperor Claudius, who was born here, and from 
its privileges as a Roman colony, Colonia Agrip- 
pina, the modern name of the city is preserved. 
During the Middle Ages, and for a long period of 
time, it was one of the most popular and important 
cities of Europe ; it was also one of the chief cities 
of the Hanseatic League. The chief glory of Co- 
logne is its magnificent Cathedral, or Minster, of 
St. Peter's, which is one of the most magnificent 
specimens of Gothic architecture in the world ; 
although commenced in 1248, it is still unfinished. 
Its length is five hundred feet, which is to be the 
height of its two towers when finished ; its width 
is two hundred and thirty feet ; height of choir, 



84 AROUND THE WORLD. 

one hundred and sixty-one feet. The work is now 
progressing rapidly; nearly two millions have been 
expended on it by the kings of Prussia during the 
last forty years. There is also a society established, 
with branches all over Europe, for the purpose of 
soliciting subscriptions for its completion ; it is 
estimated that it will require about five million 
dollars for that purpose. Behind the high altar is 
the Chapel of the Magi, or the three Kings of 
Cologne. The custodian will tell you the silver 
case contains the bones of the three wise men 
who came from the East to Bethlehem to present 
their presents to the infant Christ, and that the 
case, which is ornamented with precious stones, 
and all the surrounding valuables in the chapel, 
are worth six million dollars. These remains 
were presented to the Archbishop of Cologne by 
the Emperor Barbarossa, who captured them at 
the city of Milan, which, at that time, possessed 
these valuable relics. The skulls of the Magi, 
crowned with diamonds, with their names written 
in rubies, are shown to the curious on payment of 
one dollar and thirty-seven cents for a party, on 
Sundays. 

DUSSELDORF. 

Went to Dusseldorf, on the right bank of the 
Rhine ; it has now a population of over sixty-three 
thousand five hundred, which is fast increasing, 
many new and handsome residences being in 



AROUND THE WORLD. 85 

course of erection, squares being laid out, and 
great improvements taking place daily. Dussel- 
dorf, until the peace of Luneville, was a fortified 
town, some remains of which are still to be seen ; 
but at the present time it is surrounded by gardens 
and pleasant walks. There is, however, a most re- 
markable collection of drawings by the old masters, 
of nearly fifteen thousand in number, including 
Raphael, Montagna, Guido, Romano, Domeni- 
chino, Michael Angelo, Titian, etc., also about three 
hundred and eighty water-color copies of the most 
remarbable paintings of the Italian school, from 
the fourth century, by Rautoul. Below this gallery 
is the public library, etc. From Cologne to Dus- 
seldorf we passed many towns. 

HANOVER. 

Went to Hanover, situated in the midst of a 
sandy plain, upon the banks of the Leine, an afflu- 
ent of the Weser; population, seventy-four thou- 
sand. There is nothing to be seen in Hanover of 
much importance, although it is the residence of 
the king. The streets of the new town are more 
regular, and lined with handsome houses. 

BERLIN. 

Went to Berlin, the capital of Prussia ; contains 
seven hundred and five thousand inhabitants. 

.Berlin is situated on the river Spree, a small, 
sluggish stream, and is, ordinarily, the residence of 
the monarch; it is one of the largest and hand- 

8* 



S6 AROUND THE WORLD. 

somest cities in Europe, being about twelve miles 
in circumference ; it has a garrison of twenty thou- 
sand soldiers ; the Spree intersects the city, insu- 
lating one of its quarters, and is crossed by more 
than fifty bridges in various parts of the city. The 
Spree is navigable for barges, and is connected, 
by means of canals, with the Oder as well as the 
Elbe, so that its internal water communication is 
extensive. Berlin is the first city of Germany for 
the variety of its manufacturing works; the prin- 
cipal are those of cloths, linen, carpets, silks, rib- 
bons, and printed cottons, Berlin jewelry, paper, 
porcelain, and musical instruments. It is the 
greatest centre of instruction and intellectual de- 
velopment in Northern Germany ; its libraries are 
large, and educational establishments very numer- 
ous. Its University, founded in 1809, comprising 
schools of Jurisprudence, Medicine, and Philos- 
ophy, has nearly two thousand scholars ; it has an 
Academy of Fine Arts, an Academy of Sciences, 
an Academy for the Encouragement of Industry, 
an Academy of Music, a Geographical Society, a 
Society of Natural History, a Theological Semi- 
nary, schools of Artillery, Military Engineering, 
Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, and Music. 

LEIPSIC. 

Leipsic has ninety-one thousand inhabitants ; it 
is the second city in Saxony, and one of the most 
industrious and commercial cities in Europe; it 



AROUND THE WORLD. 87 

stands on a fertile plain near the right bank of the 
river Elster. Leipsic is a place of great historical 
celebrity and commercial importance, the money 
transactions often amounting to eighty millions of 
dollars. Leipsic is the centre of the German book 
trade, who, to the number of between six and seven 
hundred, meet here annually to balance their ac- 
counts, and their sales often amount to two mil- 
lions of dollars yearly ; nearly every bookseller or 
publisher in Germany has an agency here ; there 
are about one hundred and thirty depots for 
books; fifteen steam-presses; the publishers have 
an exchange of their own, called the Buchhandler 
Borse, where they transact all their business. 

DRESDEN. 

Went to Dresden, the capital of the Kingdom of 
Saxony ; it is delightfully situated on both banks 
of the Elbe ; it has one hundred and fifty-six thou- 
sand inhabitants. The city has the great advantage 
of possessing an American club, at No. 22 Victoria 
Street, where the latest American papers can be 
found, and where a list is kept of all Americans 
visiting Dresden. Martin Luther was born 10th 
of November, 1483, in Eisleben, a town in Prus- 
sian Saxony; he was the son of a miner; he 
studied at Eisenach, begging, in the mean time, to 
obtain a subsistence. A thunderbolt having killed 
one of his companions at his side caused him to 
embrace religion ; he entered the convent of the 



88 AROUND THE WORLD. 

Augustines and became professor of theology in 
the University of Wittenberg. Having studied 
the writings of John Huss, he rapidly acquired a 
taste for his opinions ; the sale of indulgences by 
the Pope furnished him a reason to open the con- 
troversy. He published an argument, in which he 
denied their efficacy ; the quarrel soon became vio- 
lent. Luther, who at first attacked but the abuses 
of the church, now attacked the authority of the 
Pope, the belief in purgatory, the celibacy of the 
priests, the possession of temporal wealth, the doc- 
trine of transubstantiation, and the mass. He mar- 
ried a nun, named Catharina von Bora, by whom 
he had six children. He was excommunicated by 
the Pope, and Henry VIII. of England wrote 
strongly against him. He burnt the bulls of 
the Pope, and responded to Henry VIII. in the 
strongest terms. The Duchy of Saxony, Den- 
mark, and Sweden took the part of Luther in this 
quarrel. At the Diet of Worms, he supported his 
opinions. 

PRAGUE. 

We now resume our route from Dresden to 
Prague. This city, the capital of Bohemia, stands 
in a basin, surrounded on all sides by rocks and 
eminences, upon the slopes of which the buildings 
rise tier after tier as they recede from the water's 
brink. It contains one hundred and forty-five 
thousand inhabitants, and, next to Vienna, is the 



AROUND THE WORLD. 89 

most important place in the German provinces of 
Austria, and ranks next to the capital in point of 
size and population. Prague stands on both sides 
of the Moldau (the chief tributary of the Elbe), in 
the centre of the province, and in the midst of a 
fertile and beautiful region. It is the chief seat of 
the manufacturing industry of Bohemia, and a 
place of great inland trade. This is facilitated by 
its extensive railway communication, which gives 
its citizens immediate intercourse with Vienna on 
one side and with all the great cities of northern 
and western Germany in another direction. There 
is a gorgeous silver shrine, weighing nearly four 
thousand pounds, placed in the Cathedral of St. 
Vitus. We now go to Vienna, the capital of the 
Austrian Empire. It is situated on a plain five 
hundred feet above the level of the sea, but very 
little above the level of the Danube, near whose 
southern bank it is situated. Population, nine 
hundred thousand. 

VIENNA. 

Vienna, for its wealth and size, comes nearer 
London and Paris than any other European city. 
It differs from these cities in this respect, that it 
preserves about it more antique grandeur, and that 
it is the old and not the new parts of the city that 
form the fashionable quarters and contain most of 
the objects of interest which Vienna presents to 
the stranger, including beside the Imperial Palace 



9 o 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



those of Prince Esterhazy,Lichtenstein, Metternich, 
Schwarzenberg, and Auersberg, as well as the 
principal churches, museum galleries, libraries, 
and public offices of every kind. There is no city 
in Europe has so large a number of resident no- 
bility as Vienna. There are nearly two hundred 
families of princes, counts, and barons who make 
Vienna their residence the greater part of the year, 
spending from fifty thousand to two hundred 
thousand dollars yearly. It is said that with the 
exception of London, the citizens of Vienna are 
the richest in Europe. Vienna is also noted for 
its Bohemian glass manufacture. Here at Vienna 
was the World's Fair, which was the most splendid 
affair in the world. We stayed there eight days. 

MUNICH. 

We then went to Munich, the capital of Bavaria. 
It is situated on the left bank of the river Isar, 
nearly seventeen hundred feet above the level of 
the sea. It contains one hundred and seventy- 
seven thousand inhabitants. Munich is consid- 
ered, in proportion to its size, one of the finest 
cities of Europe, and, with the exception perhaps 
of Florence and Madrid, shines conspicuously 
above all the others in regard to its extensive 
collection of works of art, principally brought 
together under the care of Ludwig, late king of 
Bavaria, to the Dusseldorf gallery, removed here 
by Max Joseph, and the Manheim collection, 



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91 



transferred to Munich by the Elector Palatine, 
added to the galleries of Nuremburg, Bamberg, 
Augsburg, Walenstine, and Broisseree. It is also 
rich in public buildings of various kinds, and has 
numerous gardens, squares, and monuments. In 
the Hall of Founders the walls are hung with the 
portraits of the sovereigns who have contributed 
most largely to the formation of the gallery, viz., 
the Electors Maximilian I., Max, Emanuel, Johann, 
Wilhelm, founder of the Dusseldorf gallery, Karl 
Theodore of the Palatinate, and the Kings Maxi- 
milian, Joseph, and Ludwig. 

Made our way to Innspruck, which is the capital 
of the Tyrol, and contains fourteen thousand in- 
habitants. The Hotel de Autriche is the best, and 
is admirably managed ; for the last three years it 
has been conducted by M. F. Baer. The city is 
situated on the banks of the river Inn, and is nearly 
inclosed with mountains, varying from six to ten 
thousand feet in height. The river is crossed by 
two bridges, one of wood and the other a hand- 
some suspension bridge of recent construction. 

INNSPRUCK. 

The principal object of attraction in Innspruck 
are the tomb of Maximilian I. in the Hofkirche, 
in the church of the Franciscans, one of the finest 
monuments in Europe ; a sight of it alone will re- 
pay a visit to Tyrol. The monument is situated 
in the centre of the church, and consists of a high 



9 2 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



marble sarcophagus on which the effigy of Maxi- 
milian I., in bronze, appears kneeling. The statue 
is by Ludovic del Duea. On the sides of the sar- 
cophagus are twenty-four relics in marble, repre- 
senting the principal events in the life of the 
emperor; Nos. 8, 9, 10, and 11 are considered the 
finest specimens of Alexander Colin, of Mechlin, 
who executed from No. I to 20; from No. 21 to 24 
were executed by Barnard Abel, of Cologne ; No. 
8, the return of Margaret, Maximilian's daughter, 
from France, is most exquisitely executed. Stayed 
there one day, and then made our way to Verona, 
Padua, and Venice through the Apennine Moun- 
tains; passed through forty-five tunnels before we 
got to Verona. 

VENICE. 

Venice, a famous maritime city of united Italy, 
formerly the capital of the republic of the same 
name ; population, one hundred and twenty thou- 
sand. The city of Venice, formerly called the 
Queen of the Adriatic, is unrivaled as to beauty 
and situation ; it stands on the bay, near the Gulf 
of Venice; in this gulf, or Adriatic Sea, the 
ceremony of espousing the Adriatic took place 
annually, on Ascension-day ; it was performed 
by the doge, accompanied by all the nobility and 
ambassadors in gondolas, dropping into the sea 
a ring from his state barge. This ceremony 
was omitted, for the first time in many centuries, 



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93 



in 1797. Venice is situated upon seventy-two 
islands ; its peculiar formation renders it singularly- 
attractive ; the islands, upon which the city is built, 
lie in the midst of extensive lagoons, which sur- 
round it on all sides. The access to the city is 
very difficult; a great portion of the lagoon, on 
which it is situated, being dry at low water, mer- 
chant vessels usually moor off the Ducal Palace ; 
sometimes, however, they come into the Grand 
Canal, which intersects the city. In consequence 
of the chain of long, narrow islands, which bounds 
the lagoon on the side next to the sea, being in 
part broken away, the republic, during the last 
century, was obliged to construct a mole, seven 
miles in length, to protect the city and port from 
storms and the swell of the Adriatic. This vast 
work is admired for its extent and solidity ; it is 
formed of blocks of Italian marble, and connects 
various little islands and towns ; the principal 
from the sea to the lagoon is at Malamocco, one 
and one-half leagues from the city ; there is a bar 
outside of Malamocco, on which there is not more 
than ten feet of water at the spring tides ; on arriv- 
ing at the bar, ships are conducted across it and 
into port by pilots, whose service must be availed 
of. The Grand Canal, which takes a serpentine 
course through the city, is intersected by one hun- 
dred and forty-six smaller canals, over which there 
are three hundred and six bridges, which, being 

9 



94 



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very steep and intended only for foot passengers, 
are cut into steps on either side ; these canals, 
crossed by bridges, form the water streets of 
Venice; the greater part of the intercourse of the 
city being carried on by means of gondolas, sup- 
plying the place of coaches or carriages. Even 
horse-back riding is wholly out of the question 
liere, the streets are so very narrow, not usually 
over four to five feet in width, with the exception 
of the Merceria, which is from twelve to twenty 
feet across, in the centre of the city, and is lined 
on either side with handsome stores. The gondola 
is therefore the mode of conveyance ; it cuts its 
way so rapidly through the water that in a short 
time you may be able to visit every part of the 
city ; these are long, narrow, light vessels, painted 
black, according to an ancient law, containing in 
the centre a cabin, nicely fitted up with glass win- 
dows, blinds, cushions, etc. ; those belonging to 
private families are much more richly decorated. 
One gondolier is generally considered sufficient, 
and the price is then four lire per day, but double 
that fare for two rowers. The most pleasant and 
healthy portions of Venice are in the vicinity of 
the Grand Canal, which is broad and deep, on 
either side of which are magnificent palaces and 
churches; it varies from one hundred to one hun- 
dred and eighty feet in width, and is crossed by 
the principal bridges, among which is the famous 



AROUND THE WORLD. 95 

Rialto, which was built of marble by Antonio 
Da Ponte, in 1591, and, like other bridges of 
Venice, has stairs by which people ascend on one 
side and descend on the other ; the view from this 
bridge is remarkably fine : the beauties of Grecian 
architecture meet the eye of the stranger on every 
side he feels disposed to turn. It is eighty-nine 
feet in span, and is divided into three parts, — a 
narrow street running through the centre, with 
shops on either side, and two still narrower be- 
tween the shops and balustrade ; its appearance is 
heavy, and by no means merits the great fame and 
attention which it has excited. 

The manufactures of Venice are much more 
various than many persons suppose ; the glass- 
works situated on the island of Murano employ- 
ing about four hundred hands, who are engaged 
in arranging beads, produce magnificent mirrors, 
artificial pearls, colored beads, etc. ; gold chains, 
and every variety of jewelry is also produced ex- 
tensively, together with gold and silver materials, 
velvets, silks, laces, and other valuable goods. 
Venice was the earliest, and, for a long time, the 
most extensive commercial city in Europe; her 
origin dates from the invasion of Italy by Attila, 
in 452. In the fifteenth century, Venice was con- 
sidered by far the richest and most magnificent 
city of Europe, with the single exception of Rome, 
and those who visited her were impressed with 



9 6 AROUND THE WORLD. 

still higher notions of her grandeur on account of 
her singular situation in the midst of the sea. 
There are magnificent views in Venice of all de- 
scriptions. Stayed in Venice three days. 

ROME. 

After passing forty-five tunnels through the 
Apennine Mountains, we started for Rome, the 
most celebrated of European cities, famous in both 
ancient and modern history ; formerly, for being 
the most powerful nation of antiquity; afterward, 
the ecclesiastical capital of Christendom and the 
residence of the Pope, and since 187 1 the capital 
of united Italy and the residence of the king. It is 
situated on both banks of the Tiber, about sixteen 
miles from its mouth ; population, two hundred 
and fifty thousand, having decreased about one 
hundred thousand in twenty-two years. It is im- 
possible, in a visit as brief as that usually given to 
the ancient capital of the civilized world, to become 
thoroughly acquainted with its objects of interest. 
Within its walls, and in the range of a few miles 
around it, is found the greater part of the material 
on which we base our knowledge of the antique ; 
within a day's ride are the remains of all the epochs 
of civilization of which we have any knowledge, 
and in the galleries, composed of the remains 
found in and around Rome, is the most of what we 
have of antique art. The first object of interest as 
we approach the city in an irregular, zigzag struc- 



AROUND THE WORLD.- 97 

ture, mainly of brick, with towers and bastions of 
all forms and kinds of masonry ; it is that known 
as the wall of Aurelius; it has been breached and 
repaired many times, and was thoroughly repaired 
by Belisarius, since whose time it has undergone 
little change. It probably coincided with the more 
ancient wall of Servius Tullius only at one point, 
near St. John Lateran. Incorporated within the 
course of its circuit are the pyramid of Caius Ces- 
tius, the soldiers' amphitheatre, the aqueducts, and 
the Praetorian camp. It had, on the Capitol side of 
the Tiber, thirteen gates, of which eight only re- 
main, and on the Vatican side two, of which only 
one, with a portion of the wall, remains. The 
actual wall of the Vatican part of the city is of 
Middle Age construction. The Porta St. Lorenzo 
is by far the earlier and much the more interesting. 
The inscription on the Porta Maggiore, together 
with the several aqueducts passing over it, have 
great interest ; the architecture of the gate being, 
however, very bad. The ^railway enters the city 
by an opening made for its passage near the Porta 
Maggiore, and has its terminus at the Piazza Di 
Termini, the site of the baths of Diocletian, of 
which some magnificent fragments will give the 
traveler his first evidences of the splendor of Rome 
of the emperors. The railway passes between two 
most interesting ruins between the wall and the 
terminus, — the temple of Minerva Medica and the 

9* 



98 -AROUND THE WORLD. 

Agger of Servius Tullius, supposed formerly to 
have been here only a mound, but shown by the 
cutting of the railway through it to contain a 
massive Etruscan wall of huge blocks of peperino. 
The wall of Servius Tullius inclosed the seven 
hills, and, passing from the Quirinal to the Capitol, 
struck the Tiber near the island ; the greater part 
of modern Rome having been built on what was 
anciently the Campus Martius and adjacent land 
lying outside the Servian wall ; in fact, the seven 
hills are almost entirely uninhabited. The Aren- 
tine, overlooking the Tiber and port of Rapa 
Grande, having on it only two monastic establish- 
ments, the Palatine, the ruins of the palace of the 
Caesars (now being partially excavated), and two 
monastic buildings, the Caelian, the Villa Mattei, 
now a nunnery, the churches of St. Stefano Ro- 
tonda, St. Gregory, St. John, and Paul, the ruins 
of Vivarium, and a few buildings, monastic and 
other, on the side toward the Esquiline ; on the 
latter are the ruins of the Baths of Titus, St. Pertio 
in Vincoli, and two or three farm-houses ; the Qui- 
rinal is traversed by the Via di Quattrofontane, but 
the greater part of it is occupied by the grounds of 
the Villa Negroni, the Baths of Diocletian, and vine- 
yards, parts of the Quirinal and Capitol only being 
to any extent dwelt on. Of the bridges which cross 
the Tiber, the Ponte St. Angelo, formerly Pons 
^Elins, built by Adrian ; Cisto, formerly Jamcolen- 



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99 



sis, Quattro Capi, formerly Fabricius, connecting 
the island with the city ; St. Bartolomeo, formerly 
Cestius, and Ponte Rotto, formerly Palatinus, of 
which a part only remains, the damage being re- 
paired by a suspension bridge, the work of Pius 
IX., are all ancient. 

A suspension bridge near the Santo Spirito is 
the only entirely modern one, while of the Sub- 
liems, made immortal by Horatius Cceles, and the 
first built across the Tiber, and of the Triumphalis, 
which led to the Temple of Jupiter Vaticanus, 
only the remains of the piers are left; the latter 
visible from the point St. Angelo, the former from 
Marmorata, a marble depot beneath the Arentine. 
The first visit of most travelers will be to the 
Forum Romanum and the adjacent ruins, and cer- 
tainly in a few acres which lie between the Capitol 
and the Colosseum is gathered the most marvelous 
collection of the remains of antiquity to be found 
in the world. 

From the Cloaca Maxima, and Mamertine prison, 
the work of the early kings, built nearly twenty- 
five centuries ago, down to the Balsilica of Con- 
stantine, we have an almost complete series of the 
building of all epochs ; the Forum itself, in the 
valley between the Palatine and Capitoline hills, 
being the nucleus, as if Rome grouped all her most 
glorious works around the cradle of her power, 
the place of her popular assemblies. 



IOO AROUND THE WORLD. 

The Amphitheatre, known as the Colosseum, is 
said to have given seats to eighty-seven thousand 
spectators, and was inaugurated a.d. 8i, the same 
year in which Titus died ; on which occasion five 
thousand wild animals and ten thousand captives 
were slain ; the inauguration lasted one hundred 
days. There are three orders of architecture used 
in the four stories, — the first, Doric ; the second, 
Ionic; the third and fourth, Corinthian; in each 
of the lower tiers there were eighty arches. The 
circumference of the building is one thousand six 
hundred and forty-one feet; the height of the 
outer wall, one hundred and fifty-seven feet ; the 
length of the arena is two hundred and seventy- 
eight feet, and width, one hundred and seventy- 
seven feet ; the whole superficial area is six acres. 
The Capitol, the Pantheon, the temple of Nep- 
tune, the church of St. Nicola in Carcere, the 
many theatres and amphitheatres formerly exist- 
ing in Rome, the remains of the public baths, are 
the most impressive ruins of Rome, excepting 
the Colosseum, the ancient tombs, and St. Peter's 
Church, which is one of the greatest buildings in 
the world; we were on the top of the steeple. 
We stayed at Rome five days, and then proceeded 
to Naples. 

NAPLES. 

Naples has a population of six hundred thousand 
souls ; it has three hundred thousand inhabitants 



AROUND THE WORLD. ioi 

more than it had in 185 1 (it is now 1873). It is a 
fine city. The next morning after arriving we 
went to Vesuvius and Pompeii, and found them 
very interesting. The early history of Pompeii is 
involved in obscurity, but the supposition is that it 
was settled by Osci and Pelasgi, prior to the es- 
tablishment on this coast of the Greek colonies, 
about the year 440 B.C., and was taken by the 
Romans eighty years afterwards. During the 
Social war it revolted with the other Campanian 
towns, and but little more was known respecting 
it until it was visited by an earthquake a.d. 63, 
which occasioned great destruction ; it was after- 
ward overwhelmed in 79 by an eruption of Vesu- 
vius, and continued to be buried under the ashes 
and other volcanic matter for about sixteen hun- 
dred and sixty-nine years, notwithstanding that 
the celebrated architect and engineer, Domenico 
Fatlana, who was employed in constructing an 
aqueduct to convey water to Torre, fell in with 
the ruins of the city. No particular attention was 
paid to the discovery until 1748, since which time 
it has continued to be an object of great interest, 
and since 1755 the progress of excavation has 
been pretty constantly prosecuted. The walls of 
the city are twenty feet thick and about twenty feet 
high, faced with blocks of lava inside and out; 
there are six gates, and many towers rising above 
the ramparts and pierced with arches ; but the best 



102 AROUND THE WORLD. 

means of approach to Pompeii is afforded by the 
Appian Way to the gate of Herculaneum. Along 
either side of the road, approaching this gate, are 
a number of ancient tombs, many of which are in 
as perfect a state as though they had been erected 
at a more recent period ; they recall the ancient 
glories of the Appian, and the road is called the 
Street of the Tombs, through which we will pass 
and note the most important objects. Many of the 
houses have derived their names from the paint- 
ings which they contained, and in many cases from 
the royal personages in whose honor the excava- 
tions have been made. The Herculaneum Gate, 
the most important entrance to the city, had a 
central archway, twenty feet in height and fifteen 
in width ; it was of purely Roman architecture, 
built alternately of bricks and lava. On the out- 
side of this gate is a fine specimen of ancient 
masonry, — one of the best preserved portions of 
the walls of Pompeii. The Temple of Venus, the 
most superb of all the temples in Pompeii, is 
situated on the west side of the Forum, and occu- 
pies an area of one hundred and fifty feet by 
seventy-five. 

The great or tragic Theatre, supposed to have 
been capable of containing five thousand persons, 
was erected in an elevated position, and escaped, 
in a great measure, the devastation which swept 
over other houses situated on the plain. We stayed 



AROUND THE WORLD. 103 

at Naples four days, and then took a steamer, line 
Di Egetts, from Naples to Alexandria, Egypt, via 
Messino ; from there to Cairo, to see the pyramids 
of Gheezeh. 

ALEXANDRIA. 

September 1, 1873. — My traveling companion, 
Rev. A. F. Shanafelt, and myself embarked at 
Naples, on board the steamship Egypt, of the 
Buliauna line, for Alexandria, Egypt ; found the 
vessel inferior in all her appointments. Our course 
over the Mediterranean took us within near view 
of the celebrated volcanic mountain Stromboli. In 
due time we entered the Strait of Messina, with 
Mount Etna in the distance. After five and a half 
days of rough sailing we reached Alexandria, and 
here our hearts were saddened with the intelli- 
gence that we were to be quarantined on account 
of the cholera in Geneva ; we were treated more 
like dogs than men ; our bread sour and not served 
with any regularity. Not being able to speak 
any language but English added greatly to our 
discomfort. Our fellow-passengers were French, 
Italians, Turks, and Arabians ; only one English- 
speaking individual beside ourselves. We longed 
for liberty ; it might come in a day, and maybe 
not for weeks ; painfully were we reminded that 
we were under Alexandrian and not American 
rule. When released from the prison, we hoped to 
continue our journey through Palestine and Syria, 



104 AROUND THE WORLD. 

with a view to returning home in November next. 
Around the prison were hundreds of trees laden 
with ripe figs, but we could not reach them. Our 
beds were upon the stone ; nothing but a cot, and 
no chair or stool to rest ourselves upon ; the floors 
are all laid with stone, and I suppose the prison 
would accommodate five hundred persons ; in its 
form it is circular. 

Alexandria is the seaport and commercial cap- 
ital of Egypt, and contains about three hundred 
thousand inhabitants. The buildings that come one 
by one into view constitute Alexandria, and the 
tall column that first attracts the stranger's view is 
Pompey's Pillar. This city was founded by Alex- 
ander the Great 332 years before Christ; it is ad- 
mirably situated between the west mouth of the 
Nile and Lake Mareolis ; is connected with the 
Rosetta mouth of the Nile by the Mahmoodeeyeh 
Canal, reopened in 1819 by Mohammed Ali ; the 
length of the canal is forty-eight miles. The modern 
city is partly built on the celebrated island of Pharos, 
and the isthmus connects it with the main-land ; 
the ancient city was built on the main-land opposite 
the present site. Alexandria has two ports, — that 
on the west, which is the best, is called the Old 
Harbor, and that on the east the New. The popu- 
lation is mixed ; beside the native Turks and Arabs 
we have Americans, Greeks, Syrians, Jews, Maltese, 
and Europeans of almost every nation in such num- 



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105 



bers that it may be questioned whether the strangers 
you notice in the streets would not be more than a 
match for the natives; the shops display every 
article of furniture, and of male and female attire, 
from the Parisian bonnet to the very humblest 
article of dress ; all conspire in conjunction with 
the style of the buildings to take away from this 
place the appearance of an oriental city. The name 
given Pompey's Pillar is without historical founda- 
tion, as the Greek inscription found upon it proves it 
to have been erected by Publius, Prefect of Egypt, in 
honor of Diocletian, who besieged Alexandria a.d. 
296 ; that the city, after a defense lasting eight 
months, was obliged to capitulate, and thousands 
perished by fire and sword. The height of the Pil- 
lar, including the shaft, capital, and pedestal, is one 
hundred feet; it is of red polished granite, elegant 
and in good style, but the capital and pedestal are in- 
ferior and unfinished. Cleopatra's Needles, those 
two obelisks which may be seen near the eastern 
part of the city, near the shore, the one standing, the 
other lying down and nearly covered with earth, are 
of red granite, and formerly stood before the Tem- 
ple of Neptune, at Heliopolis. One of them is sixty- 
five feet, and the other seventy ; their diameter at 
base is eight feet ; they were quarried in the reign 
of Thothmes III., 1495 B.C., and are consequently 
now three thousand three hundred and sixty-three 
years old; Mohammed Ali gave the fallen one to 



106 AROUND THE WORLD. 

the British Government, but they concluded it was 
hardly worth the money it would cost to remove 
it. At the catacombs, a distance of about three 
miles from the hotel, may be seen those remarkable 
tombs; they may be reached by either land or 
sea ; if by land, which is preferable, we pass some 
ancient tombs, partly sunk in the sea. 

CAIRO. 

We left Alexandria the 12th day of September, 
1873, for Cairo, one hundred and thirty-five miles, 
passing a great many towns of inferior grade. The 
population of Cairo, at the time of the French ex- 
pedition, in 1779, was estimated at two hundred 
thousand ; since then it has been gradually increas- 
ing, and, according to the last returns, it now 
amounts, including the suburbs and Boolac and 
Old Cairo, to about three hundred and eighty 
thousand inhabitants. The manufacture and in- 
dustry of Cairo consists in gold and silver jewelry, 
silk and cotton stuffs, embroidery, native saddles, 
etc. ; many European industries have lately been 
introduced; a return, published in 1871, gives the 
number of people employed in different occupations ; 
the most numerous corporation are the porters, 
14,500; then come the vendors of eatables, 12,000; 
glaziers, 10,000; donkey- and camel-drivers, 8000, 
and so on, including, among others, 4000 water- 
carriers, 3500 coffee-house keepers, 3200 barbers, 
3000 goldsmiths, 1200 chicken-rearers, 1100 hotel- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 107 

keepers, 300 coffee and tobacco cutters, down to 
35 plumbers; this list is probably more curious 
than accurate, but it will serve to give some idea 
of the principal occupations followed. The hatch- 
ing of eggs by artificial heat has been carried on 
in Egypt since the time of the Pharaohs ; one of 
the principal egg-hatching ovens, called, in Arabic, 
Maamatel Fatakh, is at Cairo ; the peasants supply 
the eggs, and generally receive one chicken for 
every two eggs ; chicken-eggs require twenty days, 
turkey, 30 days. The citadel (El Kalah) was built 
by Saladin, in 1166, of stone brought from small 
pyramids at Gheezeh, and formed part of his general 
plan for strengthening the town and protecting it 
from assault; but it can hardly be said to have 
been well chosen for this object, as it is completely 
commanded by Mount Mokkatam, and it was by 
erecting a battery in the fort on the projecting 
point, called Gabel ej Josshee, immediately behind 
it, that Mohammed Ali compelled the surrender of 
the citadel, then in possession of Khoorshia Pasha. 
According to the Arab historians of the day, how- 
ever, Saladin is said to have fixed on the spot be- 
cause it was found that meat kept fresh there twice 
as long as anywhere else in Cairo. The city side 
is well defended by the natural abruptness of the 
rocks, and is also strongly armed and regularly 
fortified. A good carriage-road leads up from the 
open square, called Er Rumeyleh, to the principal 



108 AROUND THE WORLD. 

outer entrance gate, and continues on through an- 
other gate into the interior of the citadel ; another 
way is by the Babel Azab, a fine massive gateway, 
flanked by two enormous towers ; it was in this 
narrow and tortuous lane, leading from this gate, 
that the massacre of the Mamelukes took place, 
by order of Mohammed AH, on the 1st of March, 
1811. As soon as they had passed through the 
Babel Azab, it and the upper gate were shut, and 
they were thus caught in a trap ; all were shot, ex- 
cept one Emir boy, who escaped by leaping his 
horse over a breach in their dilapidated wall ; the 
spot is, however, a little to the north of the Babel 
Azab ; there was probably a large accumulation of 
rubbish below the gap, which broke the fall, which 
was twenty-five feet. The citadel is in itself a small 
town, and contains many objects worth seeing. 
The palace, built by Mohammed Ali, which has 
taken the place of the old palace of Saladin, con- 
tains some very handsome rooms, especially a 
bath-room all of alabaster ; the view from some of 
the rooms is very fine ; the building is now, with 
the exception of a part occupied by the prince 
hereditary, only used for state receptions ; the min- 
isterial divans, which used to have their offices in 
it, have now been moved to the west end of the 
city. The old palace of Saladin, commonly called 
Joseph's Hill, was pulled down in 1829 to make 
room for the new Mosque of Mohammed Ali ; here 



AROUND THE WORLD. 109 

we could see Joseph's Well, where he used to drink 
of the water; the well is about two hundred and 
sixty feet deep. The most remarkable object in this 
place is the vast hall, supported on thirty-two 
columns of rose granite taken from the ancient 
temples, but the columns were broken when the 
building was pulled down ; the two minarets, still 
standing to the east of the mosque, formed a part 
of the Mosque of Kalaron, which stood in the 
centre of the palace court. The Mosque of Moham- 
med Ali was commenced by that prince, but not 
finished till after his death ; it consists of an open 
square, surrounded by a single row of columns, ten 
on the north and south, thirteen on the west, and 
twelve on the east, where a door leads to the inner 
part, or house of prayer, as in the Tooloon and 
other mosques of similar plan. The columns have 
a fancy capital, supporting round arches, and the 
whole, with the exception of the outer walls, is 
oriental alabaster ; but it has not the pure oriental 
character of other works in Cairo, and it excites 
the admiration for the materials rather than for the 
style of its architecture ; its minarets, too, which 
are of the Turkish order, are painfully elongated, 
in defiance of all proportion; they interfere with 
the very appearance of all around them, and that, 
too, in the city remarkable for so many elegant 
models of Saracenic time. The decorations of 
the interior are in very bad taste, and the large 
10* 



HO AROUND THE WORLD. 

European lustre, hanging from the roof, with the 
wretched lanterns strung about in every direction, 
helps to offend the eye; the vast size and the rich- 
ness of the material produce, however, on the 
whole, a fine effect, and it is well worth seeing 
when lighted up in the evening. Immediately on 
the right, on entering, is the tomb of the founder. 
On entering this magnificent temple, we had to take 
boots off and put on slippers, before we went 
into the church, and so it is with every one that 
enters. On the east side of the citadel hill is 
Joseph's Well ; it is probable that the original well 
was hewn in the rock by the ancient Egyptians, 
like the tanks on the hill behind the citadel, near 
the Kobbet el Hawa, and this is rendered more 
probable from there having been, as has been said, 
an old town, called Louirkeshiomi, on the site of 
the modern city. The well consists of two parts, 
the upper of which is about one hundred and sixty 
feet deep, and the lower one hundred and sixty, 
making a total of three hundred and twenty feet ; 
the bottom of the well is supposed to correspond 
with the level of the Nile ; the water is raised by 
bullocks, or donkeys, to the top ; the water is also 
brought to the citadel by the aqueduct direct from 
the Nile at Old Cairo. We visited the museum of 
Antiquities, the objects of which may be classed 
under five heads : religious monuments, funeral 
monuments, civil monuments, historical monu- 



AROUND THE WORLD. m 

ments, Greek and Roman monuments ; it is one 
of the finest perhaps in the world. An excursion 
to the petrified forest, made from Cairo, will take 
from four to five hours ; the tombs of the Caliphs 
(Kaid Bey) may be taken in the way, or it may be 
combined with the excursion to Heliopolis. It is a 
somewhat wearisome ride, and a still more weari- 
some drive, when, as is often the case, the carriage 
sticks in the sand, and neither blows, prayers, or 
curses are effectual in getting the wretched horses 
to move. A donkey-ride is the best way of getting 
there, and to those who do not care to take the 
trouble to ride, it may be said, it is not worth 
while to drive there. After passing Kaid Bey, the' 
way lies along a sandy road, with the Gabel el 
Ahmar on the left, and the Jebel Mokkatam on 
the right ; the Gabel el Ahmar, or red mountain, 
is composed of red gritstone, which runs into a 
silicious rock, and is of the same nature as the Vocal 
Statue at Thebes. Owing to the quality of the stone, 
which renders it peculiarly adapted for mills, this 
mountain has been quarried from a very early 
period to the present day, as may be seen from the 
fragments at Heliopolis. The same species of rock 
rises here and there to the southward upon the 
slope of the limestone range, and the bed above it 
contains petrified wood in abundance. Here are open 
volcanoes from eight to fifty feet, where the lava 
was thrown up to a great amount, and the petrified 



112 AROUND THE WORLD. 

wood is as hard as stone ; it is about eight miles to 
the bed of petrified wood from Cairo. From here 
we went to Heliopolis Pyramids, and saw where 
Joseph and Mary sat under the sycamore-tree, or 
Joseph's tree, resting themselves ; near there we 
saw a pyramid supposed to be from four to five 
thousand years old. Most of the people in Egypt 
are Arabs, mulatto, and some dark; the women 
have their faces covered. Old Cairo is about three 
miles from Cairo ; it is the Roman fortress of 
Babylon. 

BABYLON. 

Here Babylon was anciently built, according to 
tradition, and we can see many of the old walls. 
Here we go out to the pyramidical platform of 
Gheezeh, the great pyramid, the second pyramid, 
the third pyramid, and the other small pyramids, 
the Sphinx, causeways, tombs, pyramid of Aboor- 
sash, pyramid of Abooser, and many other places 
of interest. 

PYRAMIDS. 

The dimensions of the great pyramid have been 
stated at different times by ancient and modern 
writers. Herodotus makes it eight hundred feet 
in length on each side at the base, and the same 
in height. Pliny gives the length as eight hundred 
and eighty -three feet, and the same in height. The 
space covered by this pyramid is said to equal 
the area of Lincoln's Inn Fields, England, and its 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



113 



solid contents have been calculated at eighty-five 
million cubic feet. Having reached the pyramid, 
the next thing is to accomplish the task which 
most travelers think it necessary to set for them- 
selves, — getting to the top of it. The ascent is 
usually made from the northeast corner, near the 
chalet which was built by the Khedive for the 
visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales, in 1868. 
Some pronounce getting to the top fatiguing, while 
others declare it is the easiest thing possible. 
Three strong and respectable-looking Arabs took 
me in charge, and we soon arrived at the top 
of the pyramid, seven hundred feet; we found a 
coffin where one of the princes had been buried 
in a large room, say twenty feet square. Along 
the side of the wall there are holes to let in the air. 
We left Cairo on the morning of the 12th of Sep- 
tember; passed through the Desert of Egypt. Not 
a tree, shrub, or spear of grass was to be seen any- 
where. Nothing but sand and gravel; mountains 
of sand one hundred feet high. 

SUEZ. 

To Suez, one hundred and ninety miles from 
Cairo, on the Red Sea. This is a small town. 
Here we took passage on a boat for five miles ; 
then rode a donkey seven miles, to Moses's Well 
or Springs ; there are seven of them ; then we went 
to where the children of Israel crossed the Red 
Sea, which, I suppose, is five miles wide ; perhaps 



II 4 AROUND THE WORLD. 

one million people passed through the Red Sea 
when the waters were parted, and the Egyptians 
passed after them, and were drowned. Stayed at 
Suez two nights, and then went back the same 
road eighty miles to Ismalia. 

PORT SAID. 

There took a steamboat and went to Port Said, 
a small town on the Mediterranean Sea; through 
the Suez Canal ; through the Desert of Egypt on 
one side and the Desert of Arabia on the other 
side; distance eighty miles; no kind of vegetation 
on the soil. This canal is one of the greatest im- 
provements I ever saw anywhere. It connects the 
Red Sea and the Mediterranean together. Here- 
tofore travelers had to go a long distance to reach 
Port Said, but now we took passage at Ismalia at 
four o'clock p.m., and reached Port Said about ten 
o'clock in the morning. Here we were disap- 
pointed by a steamer not leaving Port Said until 
two days for Jaffa. Hotels are not good in any of 
these cities. From here we started for Jaffa, on 
the Mediterranean Sea, about four o'clock p.m. We 
had a pleasant passage to Jaffa, where we arrived 
safely. 

JOPPA OR JAFFA. 

Jerusalem, September 22, 1873. — I give you an 
account of Joppa or Jaffee, now called Yaffa by the 
Franks of Jaffa. 

Joppa is a beautiful town on an inclining hill dip- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 115 

ping into the Mediterranean, and encompassed on 
the land side by orchards of oranges, lemons, cit- 
rons, and apricots, scarcely surpassed in the world. 
Like most oriental towns, however, Joppa looks 
better at a distance. The houses are huddled to- 
gether without regard to appearance or conveni- 
ence. The streets form a labyrinth of blind alleys 
and narrow, crooked, filthy lanes, and the whole 
town is so crowded along the steep sides of the hill 
that the rickety mansions on the upper part seem 
to be toppling over on the flat roofs of those below 
them. Still it has an air of bustle and thrift about 
it which makes some amends for the want of archi- 
tectural finish and its dirt. It has no port, and it 
is only under favorable circumstances a vessel can 
lie a mile or two from the shore. Many a time 
the steamers pass without being able to land either 
mail or passengers. There is indeed a place along 
the shore which has sometimes been dignified by 
the name of harbor. It consists of a strip of water 
from forty to fifty feet wide and from five to ten 
feet deep, surrounded on the sea side by low and 
partially sunken rocks. It has two entrances on 
the west ten feet wide, and the other on the north 
not much larger. Such a spot may afford a little 
shelter to open boats, but is worse than useless so 
far as commerce is concerned. The town is dig- 
nified by a wall, on which a few old guns are 
mounted toward the sea. On the land side there 



Il6 AROUND THE WORLD. 

is but one gate, and it is always so crowded with 
donkeys, camels, and lazy Arabs, that one has dif- 
ficulty in forcing his way through. Just within it 
is a fountain, adorned with a profusion of carving 
and Arabic inscriptions. The bazaars are well sup- 
plied with excellent fruit, especially oranges, for 
which Joppa is the most celebrated in Syria. It 
contains about five thousand inhabitants, of whom 
one thousand are Christians, about one hundred 
and fifty Jews, and the rest Moslems. French 
steamers call every ten days, bringing European 
mails from Alexandria, and proceeding northward 
to Beyrout and Constantinople ; also at similar 
intervals taking mails to Alexandria for Europe. 
Austrian steamers likewise call once a week. Trav- 
elers arriving at Joppa, to travel inland, will find 
horses and mules to carry them and their baggage 
to Jerusalem, where further arrangements can 
easily be made. Those not as yet provided with 
a dragoman will find Jew boys about the harbor 
with enough of some known tongue to interpret 
your wants. With the exception of a few granite 
columns and some old stones built up in the walls, 
chiefly raised from the palace of Ascalon, there are 
no remains of antiquity in Joppa. There are three 
mosques and three small convents, Latin, Greek, 
and Armenian. Joppa is traditionally the oldest 
city in the world, for Pliny says it existed before 
the flood, and even historically it is a place of high 



AROUND THE WORLD. \\y 

antiquity. Among the towns allotted to the tribe 
of Dan we find the name of Joppa, — a remarkable 
instance of the tenacity of Shemitic names. It next 
appears as the port at which the floats of cedar 
and pine from Lebanon for the building of the 
temple were landed. I suppose you remember 
Joppa. I do very well. When the Joppa is men- 
tioned after the return from captivity, Ezra tells 
us the Jews gave meat and drink and oil unto them 
of Zidon and to them of Tyre to bring cedar-trees 
from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, for rebuild- 
ing the house of the Lord ; and it was at Joppa 
Jonah embarked for Tarshish ; here, too, Peter 
raised Tabitha from the dead, and resided many 
days in the house of Simon the tanner — the 
house is shown ; and it was here that while pray- 
ing on the housetop he saw the strange vision of 
clean and unclean beasts and creeping things, and 
heard a voice saying, " Rise, Peter, kill and eat." 
Joppa is frequently mentioned in the wars of Mac- 
cabees, and on one occasion, when its inhabitants 
had thrown two hundred Jews into the sea, Judas, 
in revenge, surprised and burned the Syrian fleet 
that lay before it. During the Roman wars, Joppa 
was burned by Constantine, and upwards of eight 
thousand of its inhabitants were butchered. It 
was made the seat of a bishop in the time of Con- 
stantine, and retained the honor till its conquest by 
the Saracens, in 636. It was an important port 



Il8 AROUND THE WORLD. 

during the Crusades, but from that time till the 
close of the past century its history is obscure 
and uninteresting. Then, however, its name rang 
throughout Europe and Asia as the scene of one of 
the bloodiest tragedies on record. On the 4th of 
March, 1799, Joppa was invested by the French, 
under Napoleon. In two days a breach was made 
by the cannon, and the town was carried by storm 
and delivered over to all the horrors of war, which 
never appeared in a form more frightful. During 
this scene of slaughter a large part of the garrison, 
consisting chiefly of Albanians, took refuge in 
some old khans, and called out from the windows 
that they would lay down their arms, provided 
their lives were spared, but otherwise they would 
fight till the last extremity. Two officers, Eugene 
Beauharnais and Crosier, Napoleon's own aids-de- 
camp, agreed to the proposal, and brought them 
out disarmed in two bodies ; one consisting of 
twenty-five hundred men and the other fifteen 
hundred. On reaching headquarters, Napoleon 
received them with stern demeanor, and expressed 
his highest indignation against his aids-de-camp 
for attempting to burden him with such a body of 
prisoners. They were made to sit down in front 
of the tents with their hands tied behind their 
backs. Despair was already pictured in every face, 
for the relentless frown of the general and the 
gloomy whispers of the officers could not be mis- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



II 9 



taken; but no cry was uttered, no semblance of 
cowardice exhibited. With calm resignation char- 
acteristic of the Moslem spirit and faith, they yielded 
to their fate. Bread and water were served out to 
them, while a council of war was summoned to 
deliberate. For two days the terrible question of 
life or death was debated. Justice and common 
humanity were not without their advocates, but 
savage barbarity, under the name of political neces- 
sity, prevailed. The committee to whom the mat- 
ter was referred unanimously reported that they 
should be put to death, and Napoleon immediately 
signed the fatal order. They were massacred to 
a man, on the 10th of March, 1799. Here we had 
to take a dragoman, a native of Alexandria. At 
Joppa we took four horses, eight mules, two don- 
keys, four common servants, one waiter, Abraham, 
one cook, Emanuel, one dragoman, Stustapha H. 
Mussa. He had a wife, named Hei, in London, 
while at school. He is a full-blooded Arab, yellow, 
but his wife is a smart, intelligent woman. They 
have one child, and it is Arab. 

We took a ride in Alexandria in a carriage for 
six miles together. We had two guards from 
Jerusalem, with muskets, swords, pistols, and 
clubs. There was one man murdered near the 
sea a few days ago. Every party that is travel- 
ing carries muskets, pistols, swords, and clubs, for 
protection. 



120 AROUND THE WORLD. 

RAMLEH. 

We now leave Joppa for Ramleh; the houses of 
this place are well built, not so closely packed as 
in most oriental towns, but running out into the 
orchards; the streets are tolerably clean; thepopu- 
lation is estimated at three thousand ; two-thirds 
Moslems, and the rest Christians. The town is 
comparatively modern, possessing few buildings or 
ruins earlier than the time of the Crusades ; but the 
chief architectural attraction of Ramleh is a beauti- 
ful tower, which stands on high ground, one-fourth 
of a mile out of the town ; around it are the re- 
mains of a large, quadrangular inclosure, once a 
spacious khan, like those found along the leading 
roads in the country ; some of the arches of the 
curiosities are still standing, and in the centre of 
the area are extensive vaults ; the tower is now 
isolated, but there can be little doubt that it was 
at one time attached to a mosque. Most of the 
great khans in Syria had their mosques and min- 
arets, and a few of them may still be seen near 
other places. The tower is Saracenic, square, and 
beautifully built ; the angles are supported by 
slender buttresses, and the sides taper upwards in 
stories. A narrow, winding staircase, lighted by 
pointed windows, leads to the top, where it opens 
on an external stone gallery, which is carried round 
the tower ; it is about one hundred and twenty feet 
high. Every traveler should ascend this tower, as 



AROUND THE WORLD. Y2 \ 

from its gallery is obtained a most interesting view 
of the plain; at our feet are the orchards and olive- 
groves of Ramleh ; on the northeast they are 
touched by those of Sydda, which is seen seated 
on a gentle eminence beyond ; north and south the 
eye wanders over a boundless plain tinted, accord- 
ing to the season, with the verdure of spring, 
the golden hue of early summer, or the unvarying 
gray of autumn ; on the west is the sea, and on 
the east the mountains of Israel. In the plain it- 
self there are but few villages, as it affords too fair 
a field for Bedouin cavaliers ; but the low hills and 
mountain-sides beyond are thickly studded with 
villages. We now leave Ramleh for Jerusalem, 
passing a great many towns ; we went into the 
Jaffa gate, and put up at the Hotel Mediterranean, 
kept by Houlstein, an Englishman, whose wife is 
a Scotchwoman. 

JERUSALEM. 

September 22, 1873. — The great interest attached 
to Jerusalem is connected with its historical asso- 
ciations ; there is little in the character of its anti- 
quities, or in its situation, or in its present state to 
attract attention, but when viewed in the light of 
sacred history it is the most interesting spot on 
earth. Rightly to appreciate it, therefore, we must 
know its history ; every hill and vale, every foun- 
tain and grove, and almost every grot and stone 
has its story. Ten feet from the hotel stood David's 



122 AROUND THE WORLD. 

Tower, more than three thousand years old ; next 
to the hotel was Solomon's Pools, and also the 
Pool of Bethesda, a tank within the Jaffa gate, op- 
posite to King David's Tower ; it gets its name 
from the tradition that King David lived in the 
Tower of Hippicus, and had thus an opportunity 
of seeing the too fair wife of the unfortunate Uriah 
bathing in this pool. I will here mention some 
of the places I visited in Jerusalem and outside 
the walls. The Holy Sepulchre, Armenian convent, 
Caiphas's House, Mount Zion, House of the Lepers, 
the Tombs of David, Solomon, and Stephen, the 
Pool of Siloam, the Tomb of Zacharias, the Tomb 
of Absalom, the place where Isaiah was sawn 
asunder, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Mount 
of Olives, the Grotto of Jeremiah, the Pool of 
Jeremiah, the Valley of Gihon, Jaffa Gate, Damas- 
cus Gate, St. Stephen's Gate, Zion Gate, the Golden 
Gate of the Temple, Aceldama, or field of blood, 
the Hill of Evil Counsel, Jacob's Well, the lower 
Pool of Gihon, the Valley of Hinnom, Mount of 
Offense, Mount Scopus, the Pool of Hezekiah, 
Mosque Alaxer, the Study of Amar, the Wailing 
Place of the Jews, Via Dolorosa or Way of Grief, 
the Tower of Antonius, the entrance gate to Pi- 
late's House, the Tombs of the Kings, the Tombs 
of the Judges, the Tombs of Helena, Calvary, 
where Christ ascended, the Mosque of Omar, on 
the spot where the Temple of Solomon stood. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 123 

Jerusalem is one of the greatest cities I have 
ever seen. The population has been variously* es- 
timated at from sixteen thousand to forty thousand, 
— Moslems, Jews, Greeks, Latins, etc. 
rachel's tomb. 

We leave Jerusalem on September 28, 1873, for 
the convent Mar Saba ; here we come to Rachel's 
Tomb, surmounted by a dome. Rachel died and 
was buried near Bethlehem ; the pillar of Jacob 
stood over the grave of his beloved wife for a long 
time. 

Solomon's pools. 

Bethlehem is in sight ; we next come to Solo- 
mon's Pools ; on descending we find that they are 
partly excavated in the rocky bed of the valley, 
and built of large hewn stones ; they are so arranged 
that the bottom of the upper pool is higher than 
the top of the next, and so with the second and 
third, the object evidently being to collect as great 
a quantity of water as possible. 

BETHLEHEM. 

We now make our way to Bethlehem. The 
sacred interest of this village, though it be little 
among the thousands of Judea, is only second to 
Jerusalem itself. The place is first mentioned in 
connection with the touching narrative of Rachel's 
death ; the next interesting event recorded in the 
history of the village is when Ruth, the Moabitess, 
returned with her mother-in-law, Naomi, and 



124 AROUND THE WORLD. 

gleaned barley in the fields of her husband's kins- 
man, Boaz ; it was to the house of Jesse the Beth- 
lehemite Samuel came, according to the command 
of the Lord, with his horn of oil, to anoint David, 
then keeping his father's sheep in the neighboring 
desert, king over Israel ; it was also the city of 
David. Bethlehem was for a time in the hands of 
the Philistines, when David and his men were in 
the Cave of Adullam, and it was then he strangely 
longed for the waters of Bethlehem, which is by 
the gate ; but that which gave to this little village 
the first rank among the holiest spots on earth was 
the birth of the Saviour, born in a stable, and cra- 
dled in a manger ; here he was seen by the shep- 
herds, who had just heard in the adjoining fields 
hosts of angels celebrating the praise of the new- 
born King; here the Eastern Magi worshiped 
him, and presented their costly gifts. The present 
inhabitants are said to number about three thou- 
sand, and are all Christians ; there was formerly a 
Mohammedan quarter, but after a rebellion of the 
people in 1834 it was entirely destroyed, by order 
of Ibrahim Pacha. The inhabitants are peasants, 
living by cultivation of their fields and gardens, 
and a few of them spend their spare time in carv- 
ing beads, crucifixes, models of the Holy Sep- 
ulchre, etc., .in olive-wood and mother-of-pearl for 
pilgrims and travelers. The ladies of Bethlehem 
are celebrated for their beauty, which has some- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 125 

thing of a European cast, and historians say they 
are also celebrated for their virtue. 

CONVENT. 

We left Bethlehem about one o'clock, and ar- 
rived at the convent Mar Saba about four o'clock. 
In the wild grandeur of its situation Mar Saba is 
the most extraordinary building in Palestine; just 
at the place where it stands, a small ravine slopes 
down into Kedron, and the buildings cover both 
sides of the former and the projecting cliff between 
the two ; the irregular masses of walls, towers, 
chambers, and chapels here perched up on narrow 
rock terraces and there clinging to the sides of 
precipices. The church, an edifice with enormous 
buttresses, a large dome, and small clock-turret, 
occupies the point of the rock, and the other build- 
ings are so dispersed along the side from the sum- 
mit to the bottom of the ravine, that it is impos- 
sible to tell how much is masonry and how much 
nature. Here were sixty-four monks ; they never 
eat any meat, and never admit any women within 
their gates under any stress of weather or other 
accident; the monks employ some of their leisure 
time in feeding and tending flocks of gay, cheerful 
birds peculiar to this region. 

DEAD SEA. 

We left Mar Saba for the Dead Sea, Jordan, and 
Jericho. Here is the Dead Sea. The region is 
represented as a deep valley, distinguished from 



126 AROUND THE WORLD. 

the surrounding desert by its fertile fields. There 
was a man murdered near the sea, and another 
stabbed last week. 

JORDAN. 

From here we went to Jordan, about five miles 
from the sea, and took lunch. The Biblical account 
corresponds entirely with what we find to be the 
case at the present day ; the Israelites crossed the 
Jordan four days before the Passover. But another 
event of still more thrilling interest has been long 
fixed near this spot: the baptism of our Saviour. 
All we know is, John came preaching in the wilder- 
ness of Judea, and Jesus came from Galilee to 
Jordan unto John to be baptized of him ; it would 
seem from this that the baptism took place where 
John baptized many. Mustapha H. Mussa, our 
dragoman, lives at Alexandria; he said his wife 
was a Christian, he was an Arab ; he wanted A. F. 
Shanafelt, my companion, to baptize him when yet 
in Egypt ; and now A. F. Shanafelt baptized him 
in the river Jordan, where John baptized our 
Saviour. 

JERICHO. 

From this place we went to Jericho, about ten 
miles; there stayed over night. 

BETHANY. 

Next morning we started for Bethany. This is 
the little hamlet which derives an undying interest 
from having been the home of our Saviour during 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



127 



his visits to Jerusalem, and from having been the 
scene of some of the most affecting incidents in his 
life. What Capernaum was in Galilee, Bethany was 
in Judea ; here he was wont to retire in the quiet 
evening, after each day of thankless but unceasing 
toil in the city ; here dwelt the sisters Mary and 
Martha, with Lazarus, their brother, on the father's 
side. In that deep Valley of Jordan, away among 
those mountains, Christ was abiding, when the 
sisters sent to inform him that Lazarus was sick ; 
down that long, dreary desert they often looked in 
expectation of his coming ; on the old road without 
the village Martha met him with despairing, almost 
reproachful words, " Lord, if thou hadst been here, 
my brother had not died;" here he raised Lazarus 
from his tomb, and presented him to his weeping 
sisters ; here, too, was the house of Simon the 
Leper, in which the grateful Mary anointed Jesus 
with precious ointment, and wiped his feet with her 
hair. The precious sites of these events are still 
pointed out : the house of Simon, that of Mary and 
Martha, and the tomb of Lazarus ; the latter is 
a deep vault, partly excavated in the rock, lined 
with masonry; the entrance is low, and a long, 
winding, half-ruinous staircase leads down to a 
small chamber, and from this a few steps more 
lead down to another smaller vault in which the 
body is supposed to have lain. The situation of the 
tomb in the centre of the village scarcely agrees 



128 AROUND THE WORLD. 

with the Gospel narrative, and the masonry of the 
interior has no appearance of antiquity, but the 
real tomb could not have been far distant, and in 
such a place as this few will think of traditional 
sites when the unwavering features of nature, the 
rocks, the glens, the everlasting hills are before 
them. Some may inquire for the site of Bethpage, 
but of it no trace, as yet, has been certainly dis- 
covered ; it appears to me, from the way the two 
names are used in the Gospel, that they were pro- 
bably applied to different quarters of the same 
village : the one called Bethpage, house of figs, 
from the fig -orchards adjoining it, the other 
Bethany, house of dates, from its palm-trees. We 
now proceeded to the Mount of Olives, two miles ; 
it rises two hundred and twenty feet above Moriah, 
and, being only a half-mile distant, it affords one 
of the most commanding and interesting views of 
Jerusalem and its environs. 

NABULUS. 

We encamped at Mount Olive over night, and 
next morning started for Nabulus Schaekem. This 
is the usual route taken by travelers on leaving 
the Holy City, and is the best, as it leads to some 
of the most interesting places in Palestine. A 
sharp lookout must be kept on the plain of Sharon 
for stray Arab horsemen, who are addicted to raids 
in that region. So far as natural scenery is con- 
cerned, the situation of Nabulus is the finest in 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



129 



Palestine. In fact, it is the only really beautiful 
site from Dan to Beersheba. A verdant valley, 
sparkling with fountains and streams of water, opens 
from the plain of Mulchna. It is about two hun- 
dred feet wide, and is shut in on the north and 
south by dark, rocky sides of Ebal and Gherizim, 
which rise sleepily from its bed. Nabulus has a 
population of about eight thousand, of whom five 
hundred are Christians, one hundred and fifty 
Samaritans, and about one hundred and fifty are 
Jews. The houses are stone, resembling in style 
and general appearance those of Jerusalem. The 
chief productions are soap, cotton, and oil. The 
soap-works are large and the trade is flourishing. 
The history of this place extends over a period of 
nearly four thousand years. 

Jacob's well. 

Jacob's well is a pleasant walk of half an hour 
down the valley, and we visited it. Next is Jacob's 
Tomb, in the centre of the valley's mouth. A 
short distance north of Jacob's Well is a little 
square area, inclosed by a white wall and having 
a common Moslem tomb placed diagonally across 
the floor. This is the traditional tomb of Joseph. 

The situation of the ancient royal city of Sama- 
ria, or Sebaste, now the village of Sebustieh, if less 
beautiful, is more commanding than that of Nabu- 
lus. Nearly in the centre of a basin, about five 
miles in diameter, rises a flattish, oval-shaped hill 

12 



130 AROUND THE WORLD. 

to the height of some three hundred feet. On the 
summit is a long table-land, which breaks down at 
the sides, one hundred feet or more, to an irregular 
terrace or belt of lowland. Below this the roots 
of the hill spread off more gradually into the 
surrounding valleys. The modern village of Se- 
bustieh may contain about sixty houses, with a 
population of four hundred. 

NAZARETH. 

Here we encamped one night, then made our way 
to Nazareth, passing a good many towns. The 
situation of Nazareth is peculiar, but it cannot be 
called either fine or picturesque. High up among 
the hills that bound the plain of Esdrelon is a 
little valley, one mile long from east to west, and 
one-fourth broad. It is filled with cornfields, and 
has patches of garden, inclosed by hedges of cac- 
tus, sprinkled in clumps and singly here and there 
through it, and the white limestone of which the 
walls are composed is dotted and streaked with the 
foliage of fig-trees, wild shrubs, and little patches 
of grain. The hills on the north overtop the others, 
rising to some four hundred feet. The population 
of Nazareth is thirty-five hundred, or perhaps four 
thousand, inhabitants. On the eastern side of the 
village is the fountain of the Virgin, and here the 
Greeks have their Church of the Annunciation, 
whose authenticity is grounded on a tradition of 
older date than that of the Latin Proterangelion. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 131 

We are told that the angel came to Mary when 
she was drawing water from the fountain. The 
fountain is here still, bearing her name, and over 
it stands the Greek church, a low, plain building. 

TIBERIAS. 

Here we stayed over night, and in the morning 
we left Nazareth for Tiberias, once a splendid city, 
but now in ruins. It contains about three thousand 
inhabitants. The ruins of the ancient city are scat- 
tered along the shore to the southward, extending 
as far as the hot baths. Here I took a bath in the 
hot spring mixed with sulphur. The ruins consist 
of heaps of stones, foundations of the wall close to 
the water, and a few dozens of granite columns 
strewn about. Not a building remains. The very 
foundations of palaces and temples have disap- 
peared, and the greater part of their materials has 
been carried off to the modern towns. It is said 
that at the time of the great earthquake of 1837, 
and for some days afterwards, the quantity of water 
issuing from the springs was immensely increased 
and the temperature much higher than ordinary. 
Almost every spot along the shore of the Sea of 
Galilee is holy ground. A great part of our Lord's 
public life was spent here. After his townsmen at 
Nazareth rejected and sought to kill him, he came 
down from the hilly country of Galilee and took 
up his abode on these shores. But the shores 
were not then silent and desolate as they are now. 



1 32 AROUND THE WORLD. 

They were teeming with life. The new capital of 
Galilee had recently been built by Herod Antipas. 
Many towns, such as Magdala, Capernaum, Chora- 
zin, and the Bethesdas, Gamala, Hippas, and 
Haricher, stood upon the beach. Other and larger 
cities, such as Scythopolis, Gadara, and Pella, with 
numerous populous villages, studded the surround- 
ing country. In no other part of Palestine could 
our Lord have found such a sphere for his works 
and words of mercy. After our Lord had been 
rejected by his own townsmen of Nazareth, he 
came and dwelt at Capernaum, which was thence 
called his own city. Here he healed the domestic 
in the synagogue, cured Peter's mother-in-law, re- 
stored the paralytic, called Matthew, cured the 
centurion's servant, raised Jarius's daughter from 
the dead, and miraculously obtained the tribute- 
money from the mouth of a fish near Capernaum. 
He chose his twelve apostles, delivered his sermon 
on the mount, spoke the parable of the sowers and 
tares and the treasure hid in a field, the merchant 
seeking goodly pearls, and the net cast into the 
sea. In Capernaum he gave a lecture on fasting, 
at Levi's feast, on formality to the hypocritical 
Pharisees, on faith to the people in the synagogue, 
and on humanity and forbearance and brotherly 
love to his disciples. Magdala is the place of birth 
of Mary Magdalene, out of whom Jesus had cast 
seven devils, and to whom he appeared immediately 



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133 



after his resurrection. The name and site of the 
village will call up that solemn scene related in 
John. The swine were forced down into the Sea 
of Galilee, and were drowned. Here we stayed 
one night, then went on to the hill of the Judge, — 
the Dan of Scripture. Two things are here worthy 
of special notice : the Fountain of Jordan and the 
site of the ancient city. A cup-shaped dell, sprinkled 
with trees and covered with a jungle of bushes 
and rank weeds, stands in the middle of the plain; 
the southern rim of the dell has an elevation of 
eighty feet above the plain, and the diameter of the 
cup may be about one-half mile ; at the western 
base the waters of the great fountain burst out, 
first forming a miniature lake, and then rushing off 
a rapid river, southward ; it is probably the largest 
fountain in Syria, but for grandeur and picturesque 
beauty it cannot be compared to the Fountain of 
the Abana, at Fijeh. Another smaller fountain 
springs up within the dell, and flows off through a 
break in the rim on the southwest; just at this 
break stands a noble oak-tree, beneath which the 
traveler will enjoy an hour's rest after the long 
and dreary ride. Perhaps, too, he may be lulled to 
sleep by the murmur of waters and the voice of 
the turtle. Some Moslem saint has found a last 
resting-place under the shadow of the tree, and 
his tomb is garlanded with as many old rags as 
would deck a dozen dervishes. The waters of the 
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134 AROUND THE WORLD. 

two fountains soon unite and wind down the rich 
plain, both fountain and stream bearing the name 
of Dan. 

SAFED. 

The only attraction of Safed is in -the splendid 
view it commands, and the first-visit of the traveler 
will therefore be to the summit of the castle. It is 
surrounded by a dry ditch, within which was a wall ; 
all is now a mass of ruins, only a shattered fragment 
of one of the great round towers having survived 
the earthquake of 1837; before that catastrophe, it 
was not in the best repair, still it afforded accom- 
modation to the governor and his train. By the 
earthquake, in a few minutes it was utterly ruined, 
and many of its inmates buried beneath the fallen 
towers. The 1st of January, 1837, was indeed a 
day of horror and woe to Safed ; tremendous shocks 
made the whole hill tremble, more than three- 
fourths of the houses were prostrated, and nearly 
five thousand of the inhabitants killed. The Jews 
suffered most; the houses, huddled together and 
clinging to the steep declivity, were dashed down 
by the first shock, those above falling on those 
below, thus heaping ruin upon ruin. It was esti- 
mated that five thousand of them perished ; many 
were killed instantaneously by the falling houses, 
others engulfed, and died a miserable death before 
they could be dug out ; some were extricated after 
five or six days, covered with wounds and bruises, 



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135 



fainting with hunger and thirst, and only able to 
take a last look at the little remnants of their 
brethren ere they died. The rents are still shown 
in the earth, made by the earthquake. Here is 
the deep basin of the Sea of Tiberias, lying nearly 
two thousand five hundred feet below us, and the 
rounded top of Taber Cesserea Philippi. Banias is 
the great fountain, the upper source of the Jordan. 
A cliff of ruddy limestone, nearly one hundred 
feet high, rises on the north side of the ruins ; at 
its base is a cave, its mouth incumbered by a heap 
of debris partly composed of broken fragments 
of rock, and partly of ancient buildings. The 
Castle of Subeibeh, generally known as the castle 
of Banias, is one of the finest ruins in Syria, and 
one of the most perfect and imposing specimens of 
the military architecture of the Phoenicians, or, 
possibly, of the Syro-Grecians extant; it is an 
hour's ride from Banias; its elevation is at least 
one thousand feet high above the tower, and, as 
viewed from the west, it seems to crown a conical 
peak, but on reaching the summit we find that this 
peak resolves into a narrow ridge connected with 
the mountain chain behind, but having a wide 
chasm on the north, called Wady Ruichabeh, 
eight hundred feet deep, and another on the south 
side, wider, but of equal depth. The castle thus 
occupies a rocky crest which forms the culminating 
point of the ridge ; the only practicable approach 



136 AROUND THE WORLD. 

to it is on the east, and there a narrow zigzag path 
leads up the steep bank, among the huge fragments 
of rock, and then winds along the foot of the 
ramparts to a small portalice around the tower, 
near the southwestern angle. The building occu- 
pies an area about one thousand feet long by two 
hundred in its greatest breadth, shaped something 
like the figure 8, narrow in the centre, and bulging 
out at each end ; the interior is uneven. The 
natural rock rises in places higher than the walls ; 
immense cisterns are hewn in it, which contain an 
abundant supply of water. Many of the stones in 
the walls are eight, ten, and twelve feet long, care- 
fully dressed and beveled. From here we made 
our way to Kehr Hauwar, Octobers, 1873. 

KEHR HAUWAR. 

Kehr Hauwar is a large, prosperous village, sur- 
rounded by gardens, orchards, and fruitful fields, 
and inhabited partly by Druized and partly by 
Moslems. 

Tradition has placed here one of the numerous 
tombs of Nimrod. Many of the houses are in 
ruins in this town. From here we traveled to 
Damascus, passing many towns on the way. 

DAMASCUS. 

Damascus, October 3, 1873. — The population of 
this city is estimated at one hundred and seventy- 
five thousand ; of these about twenty thousand 
are Christians, eight thousand Jews, and the rest 



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137 



Mohammedans. From recent very careful sta- 
tistics, it appears that before the massacre of i860 
the Christian population numbered nearly thirty- 
four thousand ; at present, it is under twenty thou- 
sand. The Christian quarter of the city, which lays 
near the east gate, on both sides of the street called 
Straight, was plundered and burned to ashes ; not 
a single house was left. After the massacre of 
Damascus, the clergy and chief people of each 
sect made out, so far as the names could be ascer- 
tained, lists of the persons belonging to their com- 
munity who were killed ; these lists contained the 
names of about two thousand five hundred known 
inhabitants of the city ; it is certain, therefore, that 
that number at least of persons permanently resi- 
dent in Damascus perished during the three days 
of the massacre. I am persuaded, therefore, that 
we are rather below than above the truth in saying 
that on the 9th, 10th, and 1 ith of July, i860, there 
were murdered in Damascus at least two thousand 
five hundred adult male Christians. The bazaars 
of Damascus have long been celebrated, and they 
are among the best in the East. Long ranges of 
stalls are on each side of narrow covered lanes, 
with a bearded, turbaned, robed figure squatting in 
a corner of each, as composedly as if he had been 
placed there for a show, like the piles of silk that 
rise up on each side of him. Each trade has its 
own quarter or section in the immense network of 



138 



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bazaars, and thus we run in succession through the 
mercer's bazaar, the tailor's bazaar, the spice bazaar, 
the tobacco bazaar, the shoe bazaar, the silver- 
smith's bazaar, the saddler's bazaar, and the " old 
Clo" bazaar. The bazaars are all well stocked with 
India muslin, Manchester prints, Persian carpets, 
Lyons silk, Damascus swords, Birmingham knives, 
amber mouth-pieces, antique chinaware, cashmere 
shawls, French ribbons, Mocha coffee, and Dutch 
sugar all mingled together. Those who have a 
taste for curiosities, such as old arms, porcelain, 
etc., ought to visit the Greek bazaar near the gate 
of the palace; but be it remembered that five or 
six times the value of each article is usually asked. 
Some of the principal places of interest in Damas- 
cus are the Armenian Convent, Greek, Catholic, 
and Syrian Churches, house of Ananias, Lazarist 
Convent, Latin Convent, and Khan Assad Pasha ; 
the house of Judas is still standing, in a good state 
of preservation ; British Consulate, Custom-House, 
Tomb of Sidy Balal, Tomb of St. George, Bab 
Kisan, where Paul was let down from the wall, 
together with the scene of Paul's conversion, the 
Leper's Hospital, the house of Naaman, and many 
other valuable sights. We stayed at .Damascus 
two nights. 

BEYROUT. 

We then started for Beyrout, on the Mediterra- 
nean Sea, which is a city of ten thousand inhabi- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



1 39 



tants, finely situated on the sea. The vessels have 
no wharf at this city, and so it is at all the cities 
in Egypt and Syria. They have to anchor out in 
the sea two or three hundred yards. Here the 
bankers would not give us any money on Jay 
Cooke & Co.'s circular letter of credit, Philadel- 
phia, May 30, 1873, on account of Jay Cooke & 
Co. failing in Philadelphia. I tried them several 
times, but they would do nothing. I went to the 
American Consul; he thought he could do nothing, 
but said, come back to-morrow, and I will see what 
I can do. I went back, and finally he agreed to 
give me enough money to take me to London. 

TYRE HIRAM. 

So I got the money, and we made out to get 
on a steamer on the 10th of October, 1873, which 
will sail by Tyre, where Hiram was buried, and 
Jaffa ; they say it will stay at Jaffa half or three- 
quarters of a day ; from thence to Port Said, stop- 
ping there ; thence to Alexandria, where we land, 
and then take a steamboat for Marseilles, in the 
southern part of France ; from there we take the 
cars for Paris, five hundred miles; from there to 
London ; from there to Liverpool, where we will 
take a steamer for New York, perhaps on the nth 
of November, 1873, after which I hope to reach 
New York in safety. 

NEW YORK. 

November 25, 1873. — My dear and loving wife: 



I/j-O 



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I want you to come to Philadelphia on the eleven 
o'clock a.m. train, on the 26th of November. I 
will be at the depot when the train arrives if I am 
not detained in any way ; wait half an hour, and 
if not there go to the Bingham House, Market 
Street. I "will be there if nothing happens me seri- 
ously. Come down, my dear wife. Good-by. 
Yours very affectionately, 

John Vanderslice. 

1 
The following appeared in the " Independent 

Phcenix," of Phcenixville, in September, 1874: 
" devil's ink. 
" We were shown a letter, written by our towns- 
man John Vanderslice, Esq., from the Geyser 
Springs, in California, with the Devil's Ink. This 
fluid gushes forth from the interior of the earth, 
and is as black as his satanic majesty is supposed 
to be. The ink appears on paper to be equal to 
Hover's or Thad. Davis's celebrated ink. 

" THE TOURIST. 

" Our townsman, Mr. John Vanderslice, again 
started on a tour through foreign countries around 
the world, and as his many friends are interested 
in knowing his objective points, we give a brief 
synopsis of his proposed route, taken under the 
guidance of Cook, Son & Jenkins, the New York 
excursion agency. 

" Mr. Vanderslice will join the excursion party at 



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141 



Chicago, October I ; thence they journey by easy 
stages, stopping at all prominent points, to Omaha, 
Salt Lake City, and San Francisco ; there they take 
a steamer for Yokohama, about the 10th of No- 
vember. From Yokohama they voyage to the in- 
land sea of Japan, arriving at Shanghai in about 
seven days' time ; thence they go to Hongkong, 
make a short trip to Canton, and leave Hongkong 
so as to reach Singapore on the 16th of December. 
From Singapore they go through the Straits of 
Malacca to Penang; thence to Point-de-Galli, 
Ceylon ; they expect to leave Ceylon on the 2d 
of January, 1875, so as to arrive at Calcutta about 
the nth of the month, calling at Madras on the 
way, if the surf, as it frequently happens, is not so 
heavy as to prevent a landing. From Calcutta 
they go to Benares, the Holy City of the Hindoos, 
by railroad; the next point is Agra, and from there 
they go to Delhi ; thence to Cawnpore and Luck- 
now; from Lucknow they go to Allahabad, Jubbul- 
pore, and Bombay. In Bombay they will spend 
six days, and then journey on to Aden and Suez, 
arriving at the latter place February 8. Thence 
they are carried by rail to Cairo, where they take 
boats, and go up the sacred Nile some five hun- 
dred miles. Returning to Cairo, they go thence 
to Alexandria, in Egypt; thence to Brendecia; 
thence to Naples ; a stop of two days is made in 
Naples, and then to Rome ; and then they go to 

13 



142 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



Florence and Turin. At Turin they take an ex- 
press train for Paris, where a week will be passed 
amid the festivities of the gay French capital. 
Thence they go to London, and thence to Liver- 
pool, where they take a steamer for New York. 
The time that will be consumed in the trip will be 
about six months." 

"foreign tour. 
" We learn that John Vanderslice, of Phcenixville, 
will go out upon his trip on one of Cook, Son & 
Jenkins' ' Educational Tours.' This company is 
located at 261 Broadway, New York, and do an 
immense business as tourists and excursion man- 
agers. They are general agents for passenger 
traffic on all the principal railways, steamboats, 
and diligence companies throughout the world, 
and to sail from America with one of their tickets 
for a tour around the world in one's pocket is to 
save much time and annoyance. We doubt not, 
Jules Verne could have sent Phineas Fogg around 
the world in seventy-five days, had he patronized 
Cook, Son & Jenkins." 

CHICAGO. 

I left Phcenixville September 29, 1874, arriving 
at Chicago on the 30th of September ; stayed two 
days at the Sherman House. I was in Chicago in 
1 87 1, just before the great fire broke out; it was 
then a fine city, containing some of the'finest store- 
houses I ever saw in any place, and the finest 



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143 



hotels, perhaps, in the world ; but the fire destroyed 
the greater part of the city. 

Chicago is nine hundred and sixty-three miles 
from Philadelphia, and has within thirty years 
grown from a small Indian trading post to the 
position of the Metropolis of the Northwest, and 
is now the greatest railway centre on the continent. 
It is situated on the western shore of Lake Mich- 
igan, at the mouth of the Chicago River. By 
means of the latter and the Illinois and Michigan 
Canal it has continuous communication with the 
Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico on the 
south and west, and with the chain of the great 
lakes, the St. Lawrence, and the Atlantic. No city 
in the world possesses greater facilities for com- 
mercial intercourse. At the close of 1830, Chicago 
contained twelve houses and three suburban (coun- 
try) residences on Madison Street, with a popula- 
tion, composed of whites, half-breeds, and blacks, 
numbering about one hundred. The first map of 
the town, as surveyed by James Thompson, bears 
date August 4, 1830. The town was organized 
August 10, 1833, incorporated as a city March 
4, 1837, and the first election held May 1, 1837. 
The first vessel entered the harbor June 11, 1834, 
and by the official census taken July 1, 1837, the 
entire population was found to be four thousand 
one hundred and eighty. The first frame building 
was erected, in 1832, by George W. Dale, and the 



144 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



first brick house in 1833 ; the latter was standing 
on Monroe Street, near Clark, at a recent period. 
In 1843 the population of the city had increased 
to 7580, in 1848 to 16,859, m l %5° to 28,269, m 
1855 to 80,023, in i860 to 109,263, and in 1865 to 
188,539 5 its Present population, city and suburban, 
is more than 450,000. During the years 1856-58 
the entire business portion of the city was raised 
from three to eight feet above its former level, 
which has facilitated drainage, and greatly im- 
proved its sanitary condition as well as the com- 
mercial facilities. I was at Chicago at the time it 
was raised ; the merchants selling goods in entire 
blocks of buildings that were raised, four, five, and 
six stories high, without much cracking in the 
ceilings, or interruption to business. In Chicago 
itself, there had been several unusually destructive 
fires on previous days, tiring the firemen and dis- 
organizing the department, and finally, on the eve- 
ning of Sunday, the 8th of October, 1871, the main 
conflagration commenced, having its origin in a 
small wooden barn on DeHaven street, in the 
western district of the city. The total area burned 
over in the city, including streets, was very nearly 
three and one-third square miles ; the number 
of buildings destroyed, seventeen thousand four 
hundred and fifty, and the number of persons ren- 
dered homeless was ninety-eight thousand five 
hundred ; of the latter, upwards of two hundred 



AROUND THE WORLD. 145 

and fifty are said to have lost their lives. Includ- 
ing depreciation in real estate and loss of business, 
occasioned by the fire, the grand total of pecuniary 
damage has been estimated at two hundred and 
ninety million dollars ; there was insurance on this 
to the amount of one hundred million dollars, of 
which hardly one-half could be collected, the first 
result of the fire being to bankrupt many of the 
insurance companies all over the country. Of the 
old court-house, an immense structure which oc- 
cupied a square in the centre of the city, nothing 
is left but a portion of the fire-blackened walls. 
It is not yet built up. There has been another 
very destructive fire this year (1874). I visited the 
whole ruins ; there are thousands of buildings lay- 
ing in ruins, including a great many churches and 
public buildings ; some of them are now being 
rebuilt. The Douglas Monument at Chicago oc- 
cupies a site formerly owned by Mr. Douglas 
himself; the tract, one acre in extent, was purchased 
from Mr. Douglas for the sum of thirty thousand 
dollars. The monument consists of a circular base, 
fifty-two feet in diameter; a pedestal, twenty-one 
feet high, and column of forty-three feet, sur- 
mounted by a sphere upon which a bronze statue 
of Douglas, twelve feet high, is to be placed; the 
entire height of the monument when completed 
will be one hundred feet, and the cost seventy-five 
thousand dollars. 

13* 



146 AROUND THE WORLD. 

COUNCIL BLUFFS. 

From here we made our way to Council Bluffs, 
the capital of Potawatamie County, Iowa. 

It is situated in the Missouri bottom, at the foot 
of the bluffs, which are here high and very precip- 
itous. The river seems to vibrate between the 
bluffs, eating the earth away from the one side, 
and depositing it upon the other, so that this city, 
which, when first settled, was upon the river's edge, 
is now three miles away from it. This gives it 
plenty of room to extend its limits, and it is probable 
that however it may increase its population, there 
will always be room for manufacturing establish- 
ments, while upon the bluffs, at no distant day, will 
be clustered residences, elegant churches, pleas- 
ure-grounds, and other accessories of a large city. 
The views from these bluffs are very beautiful. 
In 1804 Clark and Lewis held a council here with 
the Indians, and gave it its name. The streets 
cross each other at right angles, one set running 
from the river to the bluffs, which stay their fur- 
ther progress in that direction. There is an ex- 
pensive court-house at this place, and the State 
Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, now building, 
will be an ornament to the city. 

OMAHA. 

Here we make our way across the bridge to 
Omaha. I was here in 1855 ; there were then only 
six frame shanties in this place; now, Omaha is 



AROUND THE WORLD. 147 

the principal city between Chicago and the Pacific, 
and is destined to be one of the largest in the 
West. The site is a plateau rising from the river 
westward to the bluffs, and the city presents a fine 
appearance to the traveler crossing the wide Mis- 
sissippi Valley from the eastward. The hills on 
the west command a splendid view of Coun- 
cil Bluffs ; on the east the wide Missouri River, 
for miles north and south, and an extensive un- 
dulating prairie, covered with rich farms, on the 
west. The situation of Omaha, commanding for 
it an extensive trade with the west, has caused its 
almost unprecedented growth from a population 
of one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three in 
i860, to that of eighteen thousand, shown by the 
late census. There are a number of first-class 
hotels, but to meet the wants of the public at this 
great central point of the continent, a handsome 
five-story hotel was erected recently at a cost of 
two hundred thousand dollars. 

The bridge at this point across the Missouri, one 
of the finest structures of the kind in the country, 
is finished, and affords unbroken railway connection 
from ocean to ocean. It was built by the Union 
Pacific Company, and cost over one million dollars. 
It is a magnificent structure of iron, sixty feet above 
high-water mark, and has, beside a railroad track, 
a street-car and wagon way. There are in Omaha 
seventeen church edifices, some of which are very 



148 AROUND THE WORLD. 

handsome. The high-school house, in course of 
erection, at a cost of two hundred thousand dol- 
lars, and the brick buildings recently erected in 
the different parts of the city for graded schools, 
are all of the first order. 

From Omaha we commenced our journey on 
the Union Pacific Railway, nine in number; we 
were seated in one of the luxurious Pullman palace 
cars, with which every American or foreign trav- 
eler is familiar. Passing the wooded hills, a wide, 
rolling prairie opens before us, with fine farm- 
houses, and groves and timber about them ; on 
the left is the belt of forest along the bluffs of the 
Missouri River, and we can hardly realize that only 
a few years ago this country was inhabited by the 
red men, and that the tread of the pioneers had not 
been heard west of the great tributary of the Father 
of Waters. 

SHERMAN. 

We make our way to Sherman Bay (five hun- 
dred and forty-nine miles, elevation eight thousand 
two hundred and thirty-five feet), the most elevated 
railroad station in the world, and possessing many 
attractions for the tourist. Those wishing for clear 
mountain air, fine trout-fishing, and a wide field 
for botanical study, will find them here. We push 
for the Devil's Gate Station, Utah Territory, where 
the road is again between high rocks and lofty 
mountains. Just below the station is Devil's Gate, 



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149 



where the stream rushes through a narrow gorge. 
If the tourist can stop for a view of this wild scene, 
and climb to the top of the high knoll on the right, 
he will look down on a rush of waters sixty feet 
below him with a loud roar like that of a cataract, 
while the wall on the opposite side rises up to a 
great height. Passing over a bridge high above the 
stream now escaped from its confinement, he can 
look down on its foaming waters as they dash 
against the big boulders in the channel. Three 
miles farther we emerge from the grim battlements 
of rocks and catch the first view of Salt Lake 
Valley, — Ogden, Utah Territory. Supposing that 
every person traveling for pleasure will wish to 
see the desert home of the Mormons, we shall here 
leave the main road and, after a ride of forty miles 
in the cars of the Utah Central Railway, find our- 
selves at Salt Lake City. 

SALT LAKE. 

Salt Lake City, October 5, 1874. — Put up at the 
Revere House, Main Street, D. R. Patton & Co., 
proprietors. The capital of the Territory of Utah 
is ten hundred and sixty-eight miles west of Omaha 
and nine hundred and sixteen miles east of San 
Francisco. It lies in the valley, extending close 
up to the base of the Wasatch Mountains, on the 
north, with an expansive view on the south of 
more than one hundred miles of plains, beyond 
which in the distance rise clear and grand in the 



150 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



extreme the gray jagged and ragged mountains, 
whose peaks are covered with perpetual snow. 
The highest of these mountains is eleven thousand 
four hundred feet above the sea. The population 
of Salt Lake City by the last census is eighteen 
thousand seven hundred and twenty, those born 
in the United States numbering ten thousand two 
hundred and fourteen, and in other countries seven 
thousand and sixty-eight. This at first glance 
seems to contradict the popular belief that the fol- 
lowers of Brigham Young have been recruited 
chiefly in foreign countries, but when the tables 
showing the nativity of parents, the relative num- 
ber of the sexes, and the number of children are pre- 
pared, this seeming contradiction may be explained. 
The city covers an area of about nine miles, or three 
miles each way, and is handsomely laid out; the 
streets are very wide, with irrigating ditches passing 
through all of them, keeping the shade-trees and 
orchards in beautiful order. Every block is sur- 
rounded with shade-trees, and nearly every house 
has its neat little orchard of apple-, peach-, apricot-, 
plum-, and cherry-trees. Fruit is very abundant; 
and the almond, the catalpa, and the buttonwood- 
trees grow side by side with the maple, the willow, 
and the locust, — in fact, the whole nine square 
miles is almost one continuous garden. From 
the Ensign Park one of the finest views of the 
overland line is obtained. The city is divided into 



AROUND THE WORLD. ^\ 

blocks of ten acres, each block being divided into 
eight lots : these are only subdivided in the busi- 
ness and more thickly settled parts of the city. 
The blocks are divided into wards', of which there 
are twenty, each having its meeting-house and 
bishop. The building material mostly used is sun- 
dried brick covered with plaster, and the houses 
are generally of one story, covering much space. 
A few of the houses on newer streets are built of 
stone, and are elegant within and without. There 
are three hotels — the Salt Lake, Towndson, and 
Revere House. We put up at the Revere House, 
one of the latest built, which is a first-rate hotel. 
There are several small boarding-houses and res- 
taurants. The theatre — the chief place of enter- 
tainment — is a great building, gloomy-looking from 
the street, but the interior is handsomely finished 
in white and gold. It is one hundred and seventy- 
two feet long, eighty feet wide, and forty feet from 
floor to ceiling. It seats sixteen hundred persons, 
and in its arrangements and appointments is con- 
sidered the finest on the continent outside of New 
York City. There are several public halls where 
concerts and other entertainments are given ; but 
the chief amusement of the Mormons is dancing, 
and this is done principally in the school-houses 
or meeting-houses. The Tabernacle is the first 
object to attract the eye as one approaches the 
city, although far removed from being imposing 



152 AROUND THE WORLD. 

or possessing any architectural beauty. It is built 
of wood, excepting the forty-six parallelogram 
pillars of red sandstone upon which rests its im- 
mense dome-like roof; these pillars are nine feet 
deep by three feet wide, and about twelve feet high, 
the space between them being filled up with doors 
and windows. 

The Tabernacle is the largest hall on the con- 
tinent with a single-span self-supporting roof; it 
is oval in shape inside and out, two hundred and 
fifty feet long and one hundred and fifty feet wide, 
and will seat comfortably from thirteen thou- 
sand to fifteen thousand persons ; the ceiling is 
sixty-two feet from the floor; the place is used 
for worship, lectures, and debates The Tabernacle 
organ is the largest ever built in the United States ; 
there are only two larger in the country, both of 
which were brought from Europe. The Mormon 
organ has two thousand pipes ; it was built by an 
Englishman, Mr. Joseph Ridges ; the wood-work 
is white mountain pine, stained a dark mahogany- 
color. Brigham's Block, which is east of Temple 
Block, contains the Tithing-house, " Deseret News" 
office, Brigham's Beehive-house, the Lion-house, 
his private telegraph-office, and other offices, the 
museum, a private school-house, and various other 
smaller buildings, dwellings, shops, etc., the whole 
inclosed by a solid, high stone wall, with close, 
heavy gates. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 153 

GREAT SALT LAKE. 

The Great Salt Lake is so salty that no living 
thing can exist in it. The road skirts the north 
side of the lake, while the Mormon city lies east 
of the south end of it. It is about forty-five miles 
in width, and one hundred and twenty-six miles 
long ; as quiet and placid amid its mountain bar- 
riers as the water in a basin. It has numerous 
islands on its bosom, one of which, called Antelope, 
is fifteen miles in length. The water of this lake 
is so buoyant that it is difficult to sink in it, and if 
allowed to dry on one's body the salt will fall off 
in scales. Those islands would make magnificent 
summer resorts, and probably the day is not very 
far distant when they will be occupied for that 
purpose, and little pleasure-steamers will be used 
to explore their recesses. After leaving the prom- 
ontory and borders of Salt Lake, we enter upon 
that extended plateau, about sixty miles in width 
and the same in length, known as the Great Ameri- 
can Desert, which extends over an area of about 
sixty square miles, stopping at Sacramento. We 
there took dinner, and from there proceeded to 
San Francisco. 

SAN FRANCISCO. 

San Francisco, October 25, 1874. — This large 
and flourishing city, the metropolis of the Pacific 
coast, is situated on the western side of the bay ot 
San Francisco, and at the north end of a peninsula 

i4 



154 AROUND THE WORLD. 

formed by the Pacific Ocean on the west, and the 
bay of San Francisco on the east, in latitude 37 , 
48 N. The early history of San Francisco is in- 
teresting on account of the rapid growth of the 
place. The first house was built in 1835, when the 
village was called Yerba Buena (which in Spanish 
signifies good herb), so named from a medicinal 
plant growing in abundance in the vicinity. In 
1847 this was changed to San Francisco, and in 
1848, the year that gold was first discovered in 
California by the white settlers, the population had 
grown to one thousand. The influx from the East 
then commenced, and in December, 1850, the pop- 
ulation had grown to twenty-five thousand. From 
this small beginning it has steadily increased, with 
some temporary drawbacks, until, in i860, the pop- 
ulation was fifty-six thousand eight hundred and 
two; in 1870 it reached one hundred and forty- 
nine thousand four hundred and eighty two ; and 
in 1873 it reached four hundred thousand. As an 
illustration of the extent of the business of the 
city, it may be stated that the manufacturing estab- 
lishments now in operation in San Francisco num- 
ber upwards of eight hundred, employing a capital 
of eighteen million dollars, consuming annually 
material of the value of twenty-three million dol- 
lars, and producing goods worth forty-five million 
dollars. In three months of 1871 San Fran- 
cisco imported 10,700,304 pounds of rice, 15,936,- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 155 

865 pounds of sugar, 2,766,196 pounds of coffee, 
and 833,472 pounds of tea direct from the Pacific. 
In 1870 it exported fifteen million pounds of wool. 
" Other things," says a traveler, " than the increase 
of population and the enlargement of the city have 
made the growth of San Francisco an event with- 
out a parallel either in America or in any other 
quarter of the habitable globe. Its name had be- 
come synonymous for all that was most shameless 
in profligacy, for all that was basest in depravity, 
for all that was wanton and brutal in ruffianism. 
In the open day men were murdered with impu- 
nity ; at night the property of the citizens was at 
the mercy of the lawless. The scum of Polyne- 
sia, desperadoes from Australia, bullies and black- 
guards from the wild State of Missouri, Spanish 
cut-throats from the cities of the Pacific coast, dis- 
solute women, and reckless adventurers from the 
slums of Europe congregated in San Francisco, 
and there plied their several avocations and fol- 
lowed their devious courses in defiance of the pro- 
hibitions of a law that had lost its terrors for them, 
and in disregard of any other check save the 
revolver or the bowie-knife. At that time San 
Francisco was one-half a brothel and one-half a 
gaming hell. There came a crisis in the annals of 
the city when the action of the law was forcibly 
impeded in order that the reign of law might be 
restored. A vigilance committee discharged the 



156 AROUND THE WORLD. 

fourfold functions of police, judge, jury, and ex- 
ecutioner. A short shrift and lofty gallows was 
the fate of the criminal whom they took in the act- 
of committing robbery or murder. The remedy 
was strong and dangerous, but the symptoms were 
so threatening as to inspire fear lest what man calls 
civilization should cease to exist, and no peril in- 
curred in applying the remedy was comparable to 
the risk of allowing the disease to spread and 
become intensified. Never perhaps in the history 
of the world did the result more completely justify 
the means employed than in the case of San Fran- 
cisco. The committee discharged its duties with 
unrelenting severity so long as professional thieves 
and systematic murderers were at large triumphing 
in their crimes. As soon, however, as order was 
restored, the vigilance committee decreed its own 
dissolution, and the dispensers of summary justice 
became conspicuous for their obedience to admin- 
istrators of the law. From being a byword for its 
lawlessness and licentiousness, the city of San 
Francisco has become in a little more than ten 
years as moral as Philadelphia, and far more orderly 
than New York." 

We all stopped at the Grand Hotel of San 
Francisco, Johnson & Co., proprietors, situated on 
Market Street, corner of New Montgomery. It is 
built with a view to elegance and comfort. It has 
a front of two hundred and five feet on Market 



AROUND THE WORLD. 157 

Street, and three hundred and thirty-five on New- 
Montgomery Street. The style of decoration is 
elaborately ornate. The building is three stories 
in height, and there is a fourth story in the man- 
sard-roof. The rooms are arranged in suites. The 
Grand Hotel now building on New Montgomery 
Street is one of the largest in the United States, 
and perhaps in the world. They make room for 
thirty-five hundred persons. It belongs to the 
same company that owns the Grand Hotel. It is 
exactly opposite the Grand Hotel. The company 
owns three blocks on both sides of Montgomery 
Street, and expects to buy the Lick House, which 
will soon be sold and changed into stores. It has 
twenty-five hundred hands working on it at this 
time, and one thousand hands making furniture. 
The United States Mint (branch) is on the north 
side of Commercial Street, near Montgomery. 
Office hours from nine a.m. to two p.m. Gold bul- 
lion received from nine a.m. to twelve m., and silver 
bullion from twelve m. to ten p.m. Visitors ad- 
mitted from nine a.m. to twelve m. At this establish- 
ment is made two-thirds of all the gold and silver 
coin manufactured in the United States. One 
hundred men and three coining-presses are kept 
constantly busy, two hundred and forty-two mil- 
lion dollars having been coined between 1854, 
the year of its establishment, and 1867, inclusive, 
— an amount nearly equal to one-half the entire 
14* 



158 AROUND THE WORLD. 

coinage of the Philadelphia Mint since its origin 
in 1793. 

There are probably about thirty thousand Chinese 
in San Francisco. On every block we see them. 
At the turn of every corner I see ever present the 
nankeen pants, turban hat, and pigtail of John. 
They all dress in about the same style ; ragged or 
patched coats or pants are seldom to be seen. In 
almost every family or restaurant are to be found 
the Chinese cooks. In every street you will pass 
some Chang or Wang sign hung out, with the 
words " Washing and ironing done here." 

THE CHINESE THEATRE. 

No person visiting San Francisco should fail to 
visit the Chinese theatre. It is located in the centre 
of Chinatown, in the northern part of San Fran- 
cisco. Here all the Chinese in the city have con- 
gregated. They hold undisputed possession of 
several blocks, and the houses are crammed from 
cellar and sub-cellar to garret. The theatre is a 
two-story building, the entrance to the same being 
through a long, dirty, yellow-papered alley. Every 
person is smoking, and if the visitor happens to 
have a seat in the gallery he will have ample 
opportunity for judging of the difference between 
the smell of very bad cigars and opium. The 
stage is about ten feet high, and is covered on all 
sides with dirty red and yellow paper and black 
Chinese letters ; faded gilt stripes are here and 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



159 



there observable. Pieces of tin like sardine-boxes 
piled on top of each other are nailed to the wall ; 
wings, tails, and heads of birds are hung up with 
old tin pans, broken chairs, legless tables, dirty- 
coats, hats, and pants, rusty swords, broomsticks 
burned black for spears, peacock-feathers, red and 
yellow strips of muslin, old boots and shoes, 
wooden animals painted every color but the nat- 
ural, jirhks with sails, set armies marching and 
bulls fighting, — in fact, the stage is indescribable. 
Imagine all the things in Barnum's Museum thrown 
out of the windows in an indiscriminate heap, and 
an idea can be formed of the Chinese theatre. 
The orchestra sits on the stage, and the musicians 
smoke all the time. Some have things like horse- 
shoes fastened to a stick a yard long ; these they 
strike together. Others have gongs in their hands, 
one of which is so large it is fastened to a table, 
and the fellow who strikes it blows like a black- 
smith swinging the sledge-hammer on an anvil. 
Another has a brass thing like a wash-tub, as high 
as his head ; this he pounds with two things like 
stilts. There is no music ; it is simply each man 
trying to make more noise than his fellow. After 
the orchestra have worn themselves out with 
making the noise, the performance commences. 
Several fellows clad in green, red, and yellow cos- 
tumes, with long feathers sticking out from the 
backs of their necks, wings on their shoulders, and 



160 AROUND THE WORLD. 

large masks in imitation of bulls, horses, and other 
beasts, begin strutting about and shouting one to 
another. It is impossible for any one, except he 
be a Chinaman, to understand what is going on. 
Here also can be seen the Chinese ladies sitting in 
a separate compartment in the gallery. It is quite 
a common thing to see them here with their opium- 
pipes, and a little basket containing the tea-pot 
with tea ready made, and several small cups. 
While the performance is going on they are alter- 
nately drinking tea and smoking opium. 

I am going to China on the Colorado on the 
31st of October, 1874, with six friends, who are 
very kind and gentlemanly in every respect. 

THE TEMPLES. 

The Chinese have three temples at present in 
San Francisco. The two principal gods are " Hoo 
Toong" and " Guong Fi." At all hours of the day 
the visitors will find the temples open, and any 
number of joss-sticks smoking in front of their 
favorite gods. We all made a tour to the Cliff 
House, Seal Rock, Farallone Islands, etc. The 
favorite drive of the pleasure-seekers of San Fran- 
cisco is to the Cliff House, which is built on the 
edge of the cliff at the northern side of the entrance 
to the Golden Gate. By land it is seven miles 
from the city. A fine broad macadamized road of 
five miles in length leads from the outskirts of the 
city to a group of cliffs outside the Golden Gate to 



AROUND 'THE WORLD. 161 

the shore of the Pacific. Seal Rock is close by 
the hotel, and the greatest charm of the place is 
the lounge upon the wide, shaded piazza facing the 
bold rocks, watching the seals, which thrust their 
heads from the water and cover these rocks, bask- 
ing in the sun, sleeping, or wriggling their clumsy- 
bodies up and down so noisily that they are heard 
above the superb roar of the breakers. Northward 
lies the Golden Gate, through whose entrance sail 
in and out vessels of ail descriptions. The Faral- 
lone Islands, a rugged mass of rock of almost two 
hundred acres in extent, belonging to the Farallone 
Egg Company, are twenty-five miles from the Cliff 
House. Here the murre, a large bird, resorts and 
deposits her eggs. At a distance the birds hover- 
ing over the island look like a dark cloud. The 
whole island is covered with nests. The company 
robs the nests, and supplies the whole country and 
city with eggs. Several hundred thousand eggs 
are gathered every season. So great is the trade 
that the company has a vessel which in the season 
makes regular trips between San Francisco and the 
Farallone Islands. 

CALIFORNIA FRUITS AND GRAIN. 

California is a wonder. Wonderful alike for the 
wildness and grandness of her scenery, for the 
richness of her mines, for the fertility of her soil, 
and for the salubrity of her climate, — a climate as 
delightful and healthy as any upon which the sun 



1 62 AROUND THE WORLD. 

ever shone, a soil in whose bosom most of the 
products of the habitable globe find a congenial 
home, and a country overflowing with the bounties 
of Providence, where God and nature seem to have 
set their seal as the garden of the world. 

Wheat is the great crop of California. More 
than one-fourth of the cultivated land is devoted 
to it. Barley and oats are raised to a considerable 
extent, but Indian corn was seldom seen in our 
travels. The annual grain crop is about thirty-two 
million bushels, two-thirds of which is wheat. In 
favorable seasons the average yield of wheat is 
about twenty-five bushels to the acre. In new and 
very fertile locations it has reached fifty, and even 
sixty and seventy, bushels per acre. 

The supply of culinary vegetables is very abun- 
dant, and of excellent quality. When we arrived, 
on the 20th of June, celery, cauliflowers, and mar- 
row squashes of famous size were in the market. 
With irrigation successive crops may be obtained, 
so that you may find anything you desire at any 
season. The early vegetables begin to come in 
during the month of February. The size to which 
they obtain is almost incredible. We were told of 
pumpkins weighing two hundred and fifty pounds, 
squashes of one hundred and fifty pounds, beets of 
one hundred pounds, and carrots of thirty pounds. 

Next to the cereals, the grape is the most im- 
portant. The State has about thirty million vines, 



AROUND THE WORLD. ^3 

two-thirds of which are full-bearing. Many vine- 
yards yield from fifty to five hundred dollars per 
acre. Some of the varieties, such as the " Flame 
Tokay," have occasionally yielded eight thousand 
to ten thousand pounds per acre. Nearly all the 
vines are foreign varieties, the chief being the 
Mission, Muscat of Alexandria, the Black Ham- 
burg, and Rose of Peru. The grapes sold for 
eating bring from four to ten cents per pound, but 
three-fourths are sold to wine-manufacturers for 
about twenty dollars a ton. The yield is constant 
and regular, there being no danger from frost and 
rain. Vines are grown in tree-form, without stake 
or trellis, the stems from two to three feet high, 
and some of the oldest fully six inches in diameter. 
No summer-pruning is practiced. The bearing 
canes are allowed to run their full length, spread- 
ing over the ground, which is kept clean and well 
cultivated. They are planted eight feet apart. 
The cost of cultivation is about twenty-five dollars 
per acre. The average product is about twelve 
pounds per vine throughout the State. The 
Mission frequently yields thirty to forty pounds. 
Some of the vineyards are from three hundred to 
five hundred acres in extent. One of the finest 
visited had an arbor three-quarters of a mile long, 
thirty feet wide, and twelve feet high. It was used 
as a drive. The superior advantages of California 
have destined the State to become one of the 



1 64 AROUND THE WORLD. 

greatest grape-growing and wine-producing terri- 
tories of the earth. 

Fruits and trees are in great measure free from 
insects and disease, but it is reasonable to suppose 
that those which exist will increase with the 
advance of fruit-culture, the same as in the older 
countries. We saw a few caterpillars on the apple, 
slug on the pear and cherry, aphis on the orange 
and olive, and mildew on the grape, cracking of 
the pear and curling of the peach-leaf; but in each 
instance only in a slight degree. In the valley 
of Santa Clara we visited a large orchard, which 
consisted of eight thousand pear-trees, four thou- 
sand apple-trees, thirty-five acres of strawberries, 
ten acres of grapes, — in all, seventy-three acres. 
Grapes were planted among the pears, the orchard 
having been planted in 1855. The pear-orchard 
was composed of many of the leading well-known 
sorts ; the trees were remarkable for health, vigor 
of growth, and productiveness ; the oldest were 
about twelve years, and some of these we estimated 
at thirty feet in height and a foot in diameter of 
trunk at the ground. The apple-orchard was less 
promising than the pear, we thought, owing to the 
ground being too wet at a certain period of the year. 
The strawberry here, when irrigated, bears the 
whole year, but the principal crops commence in 
April and continue into September. The plants 
were six years old, the hills fully of eighteen 



AROUND THE WORLD. 165 

inches across, and were bearing ripe and green 
fruit and blossoms at the same time. The owner 
has three artesian wells on his premises, varying in 
depth from three hundred and twenty to three 
hundred and forty feet, giving a constant flow of 
water during the dry season. The strawberries 
are irrigated by carrying the water along the head- 
lands in wooden flumes about eighteen inches 
square ; stoppers are inserted opposite the spaces 
between the rows, and then the water is distributed 
and shut off at pleasure. 

On the 28th of June we visited the plantation of 
another gentleman at San Lorenzo, who has one 
hundred and twenty-five acres in fruits, planted 
fifteen years since, and was one of the earliest, most 
experienced, and successful fruit-growers in that 
country. We found him in his extensive and well- 
arranged fruit-packing house, preparing apricots, 
cherries, early plums, pears, and currants for market. 
All were remarkably fine. He had sent that morn- 
ing to San Francisco cherries that measured three 
and three-fourths inches in circumference, and 
counted thirty-six to the pound. He sends annually 
about sixty-five thousand pounds of cherries, at 
from ten to forty cents per pound, though some of 
the earliest had brought seventy-five cents per 
pound. All are sold in San Francisco; the Black 
Tartarian always securing the highest price. He 
has forty acres of cherry-currants. The bushes 

15 



1 66 AROUND THE WORLD. 

were covered with masses of fruit of enormous 
size. He has sold one hundred and forty thousand 
pounds in one year at from nine to eleven cents 
per pound. The currants are trained in bush form 
on single stems, and the branches are carefully 
shortened during the growing season to keep them 
compact and prevent breaking down. Of black- 
berries he has eight or ten acres, all Lawton. 
Generally this berry does not succeed as well as 
at the East, though we saw exceptions. Pears are 
packed in fifty- and apples in sixty-pound boxes. 
Pears thrive here grandly ; and he has raised the 
pound or Uvedale St. Germain, weighing four 
pounds three ounces. Almonds are grown to 
great size both in the tree and fruit. We saw one 
tree fourteen years old and fifteen inches in diameter 
that has yielded three bushels, which were sold at 
twenty-eight cents per pound. He has two thou- 
sand trees on his grounds. The English walnut 
succeeds as well, and some of the trees are already 
large enough to bear two bushels of nuts each. It 
may be of interest to put on record some statements 
of the prices at which these fine fruits were sold. 
While the growers complain of low prices, the 
dealers keep them up. We were frequently in the 
fruit market of San Francisco between the 22d of 
June and the 19th of July, and find the following 
notes in our memoranda. It will be understood 
that these prices are all in gold and silver, and 



AROUND THE WORLD. i$y 

were taken on several different days. Prices vary, 
of course, from day to day according to the supply 
and demand. In the latter part of June the prices 
at wholesale or by the box were : for cherries, ten 
to thirty-five cents per pound; apricots, eight to 
ten cents per pound ; strawberries, ten to fifteen 
cents per pound ; currants, ten to fifteen cents per 
pound. July 14 to 19: peaches, fifty cents to one 
dollar per half- basket; strawberries, three to ten 
cents per pound; plums, six to twelve cents per 
pound ; currants, ten cents per pound ; grapes, 
fifteen to twenty-five cents per pound; early harvest 
apples, fifty to seventy-five cents per box ; of sixty 
pounds red Astrachan apples, two to two dollars 
and fifty cents per box; red June apples, one dollar 
and fifty cents per box ; figs, four to five cents per 
pound ; Royal Ann (Napoleon) cherries, thirty to 
thirty-five cents per pound ; Belle Magnifique cher- 
ries, and other varieties, fifteen to twenty cents per 
pound ; Bloodgood pears, two to three dollars per 
box of fifty pounds ; Tyson pears, one dollar and 
fifty cents per box; Mission pears, one dollar and 
fifty cents per box ; blackberries, ten to fifteen cents 
per pound ; apricots, four to seven cents per pound. 

ON THE PACIFIC. 

On the 31st of October, 1874, at twelve o'clock 
noon, we took our traps on board the Colorado, 
one of the large and splendid ships of the Pacific 
Mail Steamship Company, plying between San 



1 68 AROUND THE WORLD. 

Francisco and Japan and China. We were booked 
for a long voyage, not being allowed to see land 
for twenty-two days, the allotted time which, by 
the rules of the company, the captain is required 
to fill out before reaching the port of Yokohama. 
The Colorado is one of the finest ships of the fleet 
to which she belongs. She measures four thousand 
tons, is three hundred and seventy feet in length 
and seventy-nine in breadth ; her depth of hold is 
thirty-one and a half feet. As we are sailing, she 
is twenty feet out of water; her cylinder is one hun- 
dred and five inches in diameter, and her smoke- 
pipe is thirty-six feet in circumference, — not a very 
small chimney. She is registered to carry fourteen 
hundred and fifty passengers, of which number we 
had only about forty-seven cabin, nearly all of 
these Chinese returning to their former homes. 
The ship carries thirteen large life-boats, all ready 
for launching, each one capable of floating some 
fifty persons or more; but it adds very little to my 
sense of security to see this array of life-boats. In 
those sudden emergencies which constitute one- 
half of the chief dangers of the sea, it is seldom 
that they are successfully launched, or prove of 
any essential service to the mass of the passengers. 
The crew, as well as the servants in the cabin and 
the waiters at the table, are all Chinese, but they 
are admirably trained, are perfectly quiet, and ready 
at every call and for any emergency. The fire 



AROUND THE WORLD. 169 

alarm was sounded soon after leaving port merely 
to accustom the men to the warning, the passen- 
gers having been duly notified, and every man was 
at his post. The Chinese sailors are born and 
brought up on the water, many of the families of 
populous cities living in boats, so that they may be 
considered a sort of amphibious animal, and they 
would probably be as strange on land as a fish out 
of water. We found in Captain Morse a gentle- 
manly, polite officer, not only looking well to his 
ship, — the first duty of a seaman, — but attending as 
well to the comfort and pleasure of his passengers, 
which cannot be said of all sea-captains. One 
ship that we expected we did not see ; on leaving 
San Francisco we were informed that we should 
meet the homeward-bound steamer about mid- 
ocean and exchange mails, and accordingly we 
waited day after day with our package of letters. 
When we had given up the steamer, we watched 
for whales, and some of these sea-monsters made 
their appearance near the ship ; and then we took 
to watching the flying-fish as they came out of 
their native element, on short excursions in the 
upper air, with their silver bodies and transparent 
wings ; they are as beautiful as birds, and their 
flight is by no means ungraceful ; some of them 
flew from one to two hundred feet before going 
below to moisten their wings. The sea-birds never 
left us, even when more than a thousand miles from 
15* 



I yo ABOUND THE WORLD. 

land, and I could not help feeling a deep sympathy 
for them living so far from the rest of the world, 
but if they prefer such a life I have nothing to say 
against it; I know they did not ask for any sym- 
pathy or seem to need it. They are very pretty 
birds, but some have given up the chase. Half a 
dozen sharks tried their swimming powers against 
the Colorado, but we beat them. For three days we 
made just the same gentle speed of two hundred 
and six miles a day; all is tranquil and serene, and 
in five times twenty-four hours we have one thou- 
sand and thirty miles out of the five thousand three 
hundred on a southern line to Yokohama. Our 
monotony has been twice broken by cries of fire, 
but these cries have only been uttered to call up 
officers and crew for exercise, and it is quite amus- 
ing to see the Chinese boys rush out from hatchways 
and every available porthole, and take up hatchets 
and buckets and apply the hose fore, aft, and amid- 
ship. On our voyage we passed through one ex- 
perience, which was novel to most of us, and which 
occurs only on the Pacific Ocean. It was the drop- 
ping of a day out of the calendar; we retired to 
our state-rooms and fell asleep on Friday night, 
the 13th of November, 1874, leaving everything 
correct according to the almanac ; when we awoke 
the next morning we found that it was Sunday, the 
15th of November, and we had not overslept our- 
selves. I went to the room of the first officer, 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



171 



whose duty it was to keep the log of the ship, in 
which everything important is entered, and found 
he made the following record: "Sunday, Novem- 
ber 15, 1874. Note. — Having crossed the prime 
meridian 180 , bound westward, Saturday, the 14th 
of November, is discarded, being called by name 
and date the next following as above." We were 
not without warning on the subject ; indeed, it had 
been a matter of speculation for several days as we 
approached the 180 of longitude, west and east 
of Greenwich, and all the more interest attached 
to it from the uncertainty as to what day we should 
cross that meridian ; had it been one day later a 
Sunday would have been blotted out, and we 
should have gone to bed on Saturday and got up 
on Monday; as it was we were called to adjust 
our feelings to what seemed an arbitrary change of 
the holy Sabbath from its proper place to one day 
earlier in the calendar; we did so, and kept the day 
as the Sabbath with clear consciences. Occasion- 
ally during the morning the thought would come 
into our minds that those we had left behind us 
were in the midst of Saturday, and that during 
our sleep we had made an extraordinary leap to 
get into Sunday ; but so far as my own feelings 
were concerned, the Sabbath was as holy as any I 
have spent on sea or land after passing the one 
hundred and eightieth meridian degree of longitude 
east or west. 



172 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



If there is any answer to the old problem, 
Where does the day begin ? it is this : At the one 
hundred and eightieth degree of longitude east or 
west. This is the only line on which there is any 
arbitrary change or commencement of a day ; but, 
as a practical thing, the day begins all round the 
world not at the same moment of time, but just as 
the sun visits different parts of the earth at suc- 
cessive periods in twenty-four hours. The time will 
never come when the day will begin all over the 
world at the same moment, or when the whole 
world will be keeping the same hours as the holy 
Sabbath, until the earth becomes a plane, instead 
of a globe. With the present shape of our world, 
it would be as much an impossibility as for the sun 
to rise upon every part of the globe at the same 
instant of time. If one of the members of the 
Seventh-day Baptist Church would accompany us 
around the world, having passed the prime meri- 
dian, we should both be keeping the same Sabbath, 
for he, of course, would be opposed to making 
any change. He would then be in harmony with 
the mass of Christians, as we pass along westward, 
but when we reached the United States, he would 
be one day in advance of the Church to which he 
belongs. He would then be a regular First-day 
Baptist. 

EXCURSIONS IN JAPAN. 

I have been at sea when the sight of land was 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



173 



far more welcome; but it was a joy again to see 
the solid earth, and the green shores of Japan are 
among the most beautiful of any that skirt the 
seas, When the time arrived, and we drew near 
the shores covered profusely with verdure and 
foliage, the hills and the valleys had all the bril- 
liancy of color of the Irish coast, with an endless 
variety of contour and an originality of surface 
that made the whole scene one of great beauty, 
without the element of grandeur. The sacred 
mountain of fire Fusiyama, the glory of Japan, 
which the Japanese, as by sense of religious duty, 
put into every picture and on every article that 
they manufacture, rose up about sixty miles distant. 
The volcano, though not active, forms a lively fea- 
ture in the landscape. In clear weather it may be 
seen more than one hundred miles out at sea. As 
we steamed up the Gulf of Yeddo, the scene be- 
came more and more animated and Japanese in its 
aspect. Great numbers of fishing-boats, with their 
square sails rudely hung against the masts, were 
putting out from shore on their daily errand, and 
shoals of smaller boats, sculled by native Japanese, 
were plying around. Occasionally a palm-tree 
would show itself, but the pine and the fir and 
other evergreens, for which Japan is celebrated, 
abounded all along the shore. Now and then a 
bamboo grove, with its light bluish-green and 
feathery foliage, not one of the most beautiful, but 



174 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



really the most vegetable growth in the world, 
would diversify the velvety landscape. The nar- 
row valleys running back from the water are green 
with rice-fields and the terraced hills with different 
crops. 

YOKOHAMA. 

We were soon entering the harbor of Yoko- 
hama, the principal port of Japan, in which vessels 
of all nations, men-of-war and merchantmen, were 
lying at anchor and giving the harbor a familiar 
look. The stars and stripes were displayed from 
a number of ships. The firing of our gun and the 
dropping of the anchor brought around us a swarm 
of native boats, all propelled with sculls by Japa- 
nese men and women almost as innocent of clothing 
as when they were born. In the course of the day 
our baggage was piled into one of the boats, and 
ourselves into another propelled by five lusty na- 
tives, who at every stroke of their sculls sent forth 
a groan or wail which would now and then break 
into a scream more novel than pleasing. We 
landed in the midst of a crowd of coolies nearly 
naked, and then came the strife for the baggage ; 
but it was a far better-mannered crowd than one 
will find in any civilized country in which I ever 
landed. After the formality of opening one of 
our numerous trunks by a Japanese custom-house 
official, who politely bowed that it was all right, 
and did not wait for any fee, the crowd of nearly 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



175 



naked coolies divided off into separate squads, all 
remaining quiet while two or three of their num- 
ber were making some arrangement, I could not 
tell what, in regard to our baggage. I soon found 
that they were preparing to draw lots to see which 
squad should have the porterage; the " lots" were 
little ropes of straws curiously intertwined and 
bound together by a band of straw ; the band was 
severed, and with a shout the coolies all lifted 
their hands ; four of the strands were found to be 
tied by another band indicating the four fortunate 
coolies ; the rest submitted without a sign of dis- 
satisfaction. The part of Yokohama which we 
entered on landing is not a Japanese town, but 
was built and is occupied by foreigners, and has 
none of the characteristics of a native city. There 
is no wharf, — a wide band or street extending nearly 
a mile along the water, on the shore side of which 
the foreign merchants have their bungalows and 
offices ; some of these are surrounded with walls, 
the yards being ornamented with Oriental shrub- 
bery and plants, including the beautiful evergreen. 
Many of the foreign merchants reside on the high 
bluff overlooking the town and bay, which affords 
a fine view of the country as it stretches out 
towards Fusiyama. 

We remained in Yokohama over one steamer, 
in order to visit Yeddo by railroad and to make 
some excursions into the country. One of the most 



176 AROUND THE WORLD. 

interesting objects is the statue of Daiboots, fifteen 
or twenty miles distant, and near the ancient cap- 
ital of the Tycoons, the extinct city of Kanagawa. 
The whole region of country is strikingly beauti- 
ful, as is indeed the whole island, and so far as I 
have seen it the whole empire of Japan. Kanagawa 
is the residence of one of the daimios, a place of 
some importance and a charming spot. As we 
expressed a desire to dine, one of the Japanese 
went with a net to a tank near by, and in a few 
moments some of the excellent fish with which the 
waters of Japan abound were upon the coals, and 
it was but a short time until they were before us. 
Another was busied in preparing the universal 
beverage, which in Japan, as in China, is a simple 
infusion of tea without either milk or sugar, and 
almost without taste. There is no vegetable pro- 
duction in the East — none in the world — that is 
applied to more uses than the bamboo ; not even 
the palm in all its varieties is more useful. The 
roots' of bamboo are made into preserves, and the 
young shoots are eaten. The Japanese often 
built their houses of bamboo, beams, posts, rafters, 
siding, and thatch, while the scaffolding, ropes, and 
ladders are made of the same. Nearly every ar- 
ticle of furniture in the house is bamboo: chairs, 
bedsteads and beds, stools, tables, and stands. 
Their most common utensils are made wholly or 
partly of bamboo : tools, brooms, buckets, dip- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



177 



pers, and measures and boxes of all kinds, the 
chop-sticks with which they eat, baskets and trays. 
Ornaments of all kinds, musical instruments, um- 
brellas, cloth, paper, books, and pens come from the 
same source. Boats are built and rigged through- 
out of bamboo ; scarcely anything in the whole 
economy of Japanese life can be named that is not 
made in whole or in part from this invaluable pro- 
duction of nature. In China, too, it is an impor- 
tant element in government, occupying a more 
indispensable place than birch in America. It is 
said that China could not be governed without the 
bamboo. A catalogue of its various uses would 
fill many pages. And now we are entering the 
suburbs of Yeddo, and now the city itself; the 
crowd increases and becomes more and more cu- 
rious, the people all along the street, as if out on 
a holiday, stand and stare and laugh as we pass, as 
if we were the first of our kind ever seen in Yeddo. 

YEDDO. 

On reaching Yeddo we were driven to the Ni- 
phon Hotel, the finest hotel in the empire, and 
one that would not discredit any city in the world. 
Yeddo has one million eight hundred thousand 
inhabitants. The second morning we drove to a 
high bluff in the centre of the city, called Atan- 
goreama, which is reached by a flight of stone 
steps, about a hundred in all. We were attended 
this time by nine Yakonin soldiers, who surrounded 

16 



lyg AROUND THE WORLD. 

our carriages when we rode, and dismounted to 
accompany and protect us whenever we had occa- 
sion to walk. The heights of Atangoreama afford 
the finest view of the city, and overlook the castle 
or palace of the Tycoon, which, since the Ty- 
coonate was abolished, is used for the purposes of 
the new government. The castle stands upon high 
ground, and is strongly fortified after the Japanese 
fashion, with walled terraces and deep, wide moats, 
making it almost impregnable to native attacks, 
although comparatively weak to those skilled in 
the more modern arts of war. A drive along the 
castles, walls, and moats is one of the great attrac- 
tions of Yeddo. The city, which stretches out for 
miles in every direction, abounds in beautiful spots 
and interesting scenes, in which Japanese art has 
combined with nature to produce the finest effects. 

ANCIENT CEMETERY. 

These sacred grounds must have been laid out 
many centuries ago, and successive rulers have 
spent immense sums in adorning them and keep- 
ing them in order in Yeddo and Thiba. It covers a 
vast extent of ground, a hundred, perhaps hun- 
dreds of acres ; we could not tell how many, for 
there was nothing to bound the vision when we 
were once within the inclosure. Entering by a 
massive gateway, we drove a long distance on a 
broad avenue shaded by magnificent old trees; 
we came at length to another arched gateway, 



AROUND THE WORLD. 179 

where we left our carriages and passed into a 
square court of some acres, in which stands a 
temple exceeding in grandeur and splendor all 
that we had imagined of Japanese architecture. 
The exterior is heavily ornamented with carving, 
and the interior literally shone with burnished 
gold. 

Leaving this temple, we passed to another part 
of the cemetery, and were conducted through a 
succession of courts and temples not so large as 
the first, but far more elaborately and beautifully 
ornamented. I was surprised by the refined taste 
shown in the combinations of colors and in the 
ornaments with which they were loaded. 

Some of the wide court-yards inclosing temples 
were surrounded with porticoes or loggia, the roofs 
of which were exquisitely frescoed, with a beauty 
and modesty of coloring that I have never seen 
surpassed in any country; the paneling contained 
birds in endless variety painted as if from life. 
From Thiba we returned to Yokohama. 

The Japanese are a reading people. I often 
found the servants when not on duty engaged in 
reading, and on one occasion I took the book from 
the hand of one of them and found it a profusely 
illustrated volume. Their reading is chiefly sensa- 
tional novels, arranged with a pair of lovers, after 
the most approved style of French or English 
fiction. 



180 AROUND THE WORLD. 

JAPAN AND THE JAPANESE. 

The territory of Japan contains four large islands 
and nearly four hundred smaller. There are seven 
grand divisions, which are subdivided into sixty- 
eight provinces, and these again into smaller dis- 
tricts and towns. It has an area of one hundred 
and ninety thousand square miles, and a popula- 
tion of twenty million. For the last six hundred 
years there have been both a civil and religious 
ruler, although the latter was scarcely anything 
more than a nominal officer. The former, known 
under the name of Taikun, or Tycoon, had the 
reins of government in his own hands, but the 
Mikado was recognized as the religious head of 
the country, and indeed was superior in rank to 
the Tycoon, although he had but little to do with 
public affairs, and his existence was regarded almost 
as a myth. In the year 1868 a revolution was in- 
augurated, and at length became successful, by 
which the power of the Tycoon was overthrown. 
He was reduced to the position of prince of the 
empire. The Mikado was duly installed as supreme 
ruler, and is now recognized as such throughout 
the empire. Below him are two hundred and sixty 
daimios, of whom eighteen are the great chiefs of 
the empire, — feudal lords, with supreme authority 
in their own provinces and having thousands of 
retainers ; the two-sworded men of the country, a 
class of men who live upon the daimios, are sup- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 181 

posed to do their fighting for them, and who are 
sometimes quite as ready to fight for themselves. 

The Japanese, although far more agreeable in 
their manners than the Chinese, are both intellec- 
tually and physically inferior; they are quicker in 
apprehension perhaps, more imitative, and more 
willing to learn from others ; they possess, or at 
least exhibit, more curiosity; they are decidedly 
very ingenious in manufacturing all kinds of goods, 
everything being made in first-rate order; but are 
wanting in mental vigor, as compared with others, 
neither do they have that overweening sense of 
their importance in the scale of being and of su- 
perior knowledge which belongs to the Chinese. 
Their bearing towards each other and towards the 
outside is regulated accordingly. In their houses 
and shops and in many of their industrial and 
domestic arrangements they are patterns of neat- 
ness and good taste. One may walk for miles 
through their streets, looking into their dwellings 
or places of business, which are all open by day, 
and he will never tire in his admiration of the 
cleanliness which prevails, and of the regard to 
order and general effect in the arrangement of their 
various wares and varying colors. One of the cus- 
toms of married life is absolutely hideous. The 
Japanese generally have fine teeth; but when a 
woman marries, she is compelled by the laws of 
society to dye her teeth black, and this process is 
1 6* 



1 82 AROUND THE WORLD. 

renewed every three or four days. In city or 
country, wherever you meet the grim smiles of the 
women who have fallen into the bonds of matri- 
mony, they look more like hybrid monsters, with 
their black teeth, than like the lovely beings they 
ought to be. What was the origin of this custom 
I do not know; but there are only two things 
which have led me to desire temporary imperial 
authority in Japan : one is to establish some sort 
of costume for the men, and the other to abolish 
the custom of married women dyeing their teeth. 
The beggars in Japan, as in many other coun- 
tries, form a distinct profession, though not so 
numerous nor so imperious in their demands as in 
Europe, and in their moderation and apparent hon- 
esty are a model for the beggars of all nations. 
Seeing some forty or fifty coppers hanging on as 
many nails at the door of a shop (the copper coin 
has a hole in the centre), I inquired what they were 
for, and was told they were placed there by the 
shopkeeper to save time and trouble in answering 
the calls of the mendicants. When one came 
along, he simply took a copper and passed on, 
never abusing the charity of the shopkeeper by 
taking two. The device by which their calls are 
attended to might be worth imitation in other 
parts, if equally honest beggars could be found. 

CRIMES. 

Capital crimes are punished either by decapita- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 183 

tion with the sword or by crucifixion ; many execu- 
tions by the former mode have taken place in Japan ; 
the latter has been common, and is still practiced. 
Each city has its execution-ground, which is often 
upon the high road ; we passed those of Yokohama 
and Yeddo in going through the cities. 

DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD. 

Their mode of disposing of the dead is both by 
burial and burning, the wishes of the dying being 
considered by the friends imperative as to the mode 
in which the body shall be disposed of. In some 
parts of Japan burning is always practiced. A 
large furnace is connected with the cemetery, in 
which the body is speedily consumed, the ashes 
being carefully preserved and buried with as much 
solemnity as are the entire remains in other coun- 
tries. Some of the cemeteries are very beautiful, 
covering a large extent of the hill-sides. The large 
cemetery at Nagasaki, as seen from the harbor, 
presents a very striking appearance, — tiers of tombs 
rising one above another in graceful terraces. 

RELIGION. 

The Japanese are not what we should call a 
religious people. The two prevailing forms of 
religion are Sintoism and Buddhism ; but neither 
of these have a strong hold upon the people, or 
awaken deep religious feeling. Nowhere have I 
seen the manifestations of reverence, or anything 
approaching profound worship : even their temples 



1 84 AROUND THE WORLD. 

are far from being accounted sacred ; they are often 
made places of entertainment and continued resi- 
dences for strangers ; the first Protestant mission- 
aries on coming to Japan had a temple assigned 
them as their home, and occupied it for a long 
period. When we entered the temple at Yeddo 
we were invariably followed by a curious crowd, 
but no one made a sign of prostration or engaged 
in any act of worship, or exhibited any respect for 
the place more than for ordinary buildings. Sin- 
toism was the ancient faith of the country, — its 
hierarchy consists of the Mikado, two ecclesiastical 
judges, and the priesthood, which comprises also 
the monks. 

The temples are usually on elevated places, or 
surrounded with trees ; they have no idols in the 
temples. On the altar stands a mirror, which is re- 
garded as an emblem of the purity required in the 
worshipers, and as requiring sincerity of worship. 
The form of worship is simple, first washing in the 
sacred font, the praying before the mirror to the 
great sun-goddess, making an offering of money 
or rice or its equivalent, and lastly, striking the 
bell to signify to the goddess that the worship is 
over. The bells connected with the temples are 
large, and are usually hung near the ground, where 
they can be easily struck. 

Everything connected with Japan, and especially 
with the government, partakes more or less of 



AROUND THE WORLD. 185 

mystery, and nothing more than the attitude of the 
government toward Christianity, edicts being issued 
and posted all over the country forbidding the 
people to embrace it, and at the same time calling 
into its service for the education of the youth 
Christian missionaries, who have come to the coun- 
try with the avowed object of laboring for the con- 
version of the Japanese to Christ, leaving them 
wholly untrammeled as to what they shall teach. 
But with all that is mysterious or unfavorable, 
there is much to encourage hope in regard to the 
future of the country. The growing disposition 
to conform the administration of the government 
to the American model, and to introduce American 
science and arts, the increasing intercourse, official 
and social, with the United States, the sending of 
so many youth to be educated in the United States 
under the influence of our Christian institutions, 
and the calling into public service at home of so 
many Protestant Christian teachers, are remarkable 
signs which may well inspire hope. 

THE TONSURE. 

In Japan men shave their heads just where the 
Chinese do not, making a bald spot upon the 
crown, which likens them to Jesuit priests, while 
they leave a broad circle of hair around the head. 
Men and women shave the eyebrows off smooth, 
and have the hair carefully plucked out of the 
ears and nose. The barber is an important func- 



1 86 AROUND THE WORLD. 

tionary in this part of the world, every person of 
high or low degree calling his services into requi- 
sition almost daily. Economically it might be 
regarded as a great expense to the nation, but on 
the other hand it affords employment and support 
for a large class. 

JAPANESE HABITS. 

Many of their habits are the exact opposites of 
those of other nations. The carpenter in using 
the plane always draws it towards him instead of 
pushing it; it is the same with the saw, which he 
draws when he wishes to cut, the teeth being set 
accordingly. One of their customs struck me as 
an improvement upon the mode of doing things 
in civilized countries, especially after I had ac- 
quired some knowledge of their vicious ponies. 
In stabling their horses they tie them with their 
heads to the door or front of the stable, so that 
they can approach them in front instead of behind, 
thus reducing to every-day practice the trick of 
the showman, who made a handsome sum by ad- 
mitting visitors to see a horse whose head was 
where his tail ought to be. The horses, by the 
way, are generally shod with straw instead of iron. 
A straw mat is fastened upon the foot with cords 
of the same material, and so slightly that the 
streets in which horses are used are strewn with 
the cast-off sandals of the ponies. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 187 

INLAND SEA. 

Inland Sea, December 5, 1874. — The most beau- 
tiful sea in the world is the Inland Sea of Japan, 
between three of the four largest islands, Niphon, 
Kioo-Sioo, and Sikoke. There is an expanse of 
water five hundred miles in extent from east to 
west, and varying greatly in breadth, connected at 
different points with the ocean, but forming a great 
land-locked sea. The name, like most Japanese 
names, is singularly beautiful, Suwonda. Into this 
wide expanse have been sprinkled more than three 
thousand islands, which by volcanic action have 
been moulded into all the forms of beauty imagina- 
ble. Some of them are lofty cones, rising directly 
from the water to the height of several hundred feet; 
others are rounded off with more variety of outline, 
and stretch away for miles with constantly changing 
profile, and with shores and hill-sides and valleys 
as green as emeralds. I have found nothing to 
compare with it in any other sea, and this is the 
testimony of every traveler I have met who has 
made the passage. We were two days and one 
night — a bright, beautiful moonlight night — in 
steaming through the sea, and, as I recall the 
voyage, the scene rises up before me like the 
vision of some fairy-land. During the whole 
passage the water had scarcely a ripple upon its 
surface, and an ever-changing panorama of green 
islands, of narrowing straits, expanding bays, pic- 



1 88 AROUND THE WORLD. 

turesque landscapes, hills, and valleys, with cities 
scattered along the shore, rolled by us with con- 
stantly-varying beauty. 

Early the next morning we anchored in the 
harbor of Hiogo, one of the open ports, and the 
most beautifully situated town in Japan. Osake, 
of which Hiogo is in reality the port, is fifteen 
miles distant, and is the site of the fortified castle 
of the Tycoons, destroyed by fire when the Tycoon 
left it in the late revolution. Osake, manufactur- 
ing a great quantity of the various kinds of silk, 
is a city of great wealth, its silk-houses surpassing 
those of any other city in the empire. Bamboo 
and plantain groves surround it. Hiogo gives 
promise of becoming an important place in the 
commerce of Japan ; it certainly has great attrac- 
tions as a residence. Hiogo has thirty thousand 
and Osake one million eight hundred thousand 
inhabitants. 

We rose next morning at six, in time to see the 
gates of the East opened. Islands, with charming 
little bays, were around us. The country was under 
more perfect cultivation than any portion of the 
coast that I have seen, the terraces running far up 
the hill-side, and trees and shrubbery indicating 
the tastes of the inhabitants. On either side of 
the strait was a large city well fortified. Just at 
dark we came upon the Arched Rock, a small 
island jutting out from the sea, united at the top, 



AROUND THE WORLD. ^9 

but with a wide arch, some thirty or forty feet in 
height, under which boats can sail with ease. As 
the last rays of daylight were vanishing we entered 
the harbor of Nagasaki, on the extreme west end 
of Japan, which is completely concealed from the 
sea, running back around high headlands. Naga- 
saki has twenty thousand inhabitants. 

NAGASAKI. 

Our ship lay for one day and two nights in the 
harbor of Nagasaki, affording us an opportunity to 
visit the town and to enjoy the beautiful scenery, 
which, were it not on such a limited scale, would 
rival the grandeur of Hiogo. About midnight, the 
last night of our stay, I heard a whistling in the 
rigging of our ship, which assured me that the 
calm we had enjoyed so many days presaged a 
storm, and I was not disappointed. 

THE STORM. 

We prepared ourselves as best we could to 
withstand the blast, but we could not long keep 
the deck, and were forced to go below. All day 
long one crash after another was heard as a table 
broke loose or the steward's crockery went into a 
heap. Though in a staunch and mighty ship, we 
felt, what we had not occasion to feel before, how 
weak are the proudest works of man in contending 
with the breath of the Almighty ! We could only 
commit ourselves to his care during the long, dark 
night, while the tempest raged and the great waves 

17 



190 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



tossed us up and down. With the morning came a 
change: early in the day we entered the broad 
mouth of Yang-ste-kiang River, and quietly steamed 
toward Shanghai, thankful that we had reached 
another continent in safety, and that for a little 
while our tossings upon the deep were over. 

A more perfect contrast than our experience 
upon the inland sea of Japan, and that upon the 
eastern China sea, could not well be imagined. 

SHANGHAI. 

We entered the Yanste River, as the Amazon is 
called, far out at sea. Long before we came in 
sight of the low shores, the water became as yel- 
low as that of the Tiber, taking its color from the 
soil of the country, which is constantly washing 
down the river, filling up the wide mouth and 
making the navigation more and more difficult. We 
soon entered the Woosung, a small river on which 
Shanghai is situated, about twelve miles from its 
mouth. At the entrance is a long range of earth- 
works, — one of the supposed impregnable forts 
which the Chinese in their self-sufficiency and con- 
tempt of foreigners erected at various points, and 
which have proved equally efficient with the paper 
fortifications recommended in Salmagundi. They 
were easily battered to pieces by the English fleet 
in the war of 1841. Shanghai is one of the four 
ports first opened by the treaty of 1842. The 
climate is very trying in winter. The malaria of 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



I 9 I 



the low country was formerly productive of fevers, 
but, at a great expense, a system of draining and of 
street construction was carried out by which the 
health of the place has been improved. The cost of 
these improvements was so great that the Chinese 
say Shanghai is paved with dollars. The first thing 
that arrests a traveler's attention on landing is the 
novel mode of conveyance peculiar to Shanghai. 
The popular carriage is a wheelbarrow. The 
streets of the old city are narrow and rough, and 
so much broken up by bridges that this vehicle 
cannot be used ; but in the foreign settlement you 
find the Chinese men and women everywhere on 
wheelbarrows. The wheel is much larger than 
those in use in our country, and the passengers 
are seated one on each side of it when two are rid- 
ing ; if they are of equal weight the carriage is 
evenly balanced, but when two persons of unequal 
weight are carried, or only one, the wheel is turned 
up at an angle, so that the weight shall come 
upon the point in its circumference that strikes the 
ground. 

The Chinese part of the town has a population 
of nearly a million souls, including that portion 
built around the walls for want of room within. 
During the rebellion the number was almost twice 
as great. The city proper is entered by several 
gates, which are narrow passages admitting only 
what goes on foot. Everything in the shape of 



192 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



merchandise, and every stone and timber for build- 
ing, is carried in on the shoulders of coolies, as in 
most parts of the East. 

One will not be inclined to linger long in his 
walks through the native city, although he may 
see much at every step that is both novel and 
interesting. The Chinese shops, the Chinese cos- 
tumes, sights, and smells of all kinds, are perfectly 
new, and, as he has never met them before, he will 
never wish to meet the most of them again. At 
several points as I was passing along I came upon 
police stations where criminals of different grades 
were undergoing different degrees of punishment. 
Some were simply confined in large cages, — the 
sport of the passers-by, — others wore immense 
collars made of two wide boards brought together 
at their edges, with a hole large enough for the 
neck ; the collar is so wide that the prisoner can- 
not reach his head with his hands, and is dependent 
upon his friends or upon charity, not only for his 
food, but for getting it to his mouth ; others had 
their heads jutting out of the tops of cages, which 
were so high that they could not sit down, and so 
low that they could not stand up, or in which 
they stood on tiptoe : they were condemned to pass 
days and nights in this uncomfortable and even 
torturing position. A short time before, several 
persons who were guilty of a capital offense were 
condemned to death and placed in these cages, 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



193 



where they died from starvation before the eyes of 
the people, no one being allowed to furnish them 
with food. Torture, as I subsequently learned by 
witnessing it at Canton, enters largely into the idea 
of punishment among the Chinese, and is freely 
resorted to for the purpose of extorting confession 
from the accused. 

I expected to visit Pekin and the Great Wall of 
China, but was told it was too late in the season. 
We regretted not being able to visit the capital of 
the Flowery Kingdom ; but it is as well to see a few 
Chinese cities. With the exception of Pekin, they 
are built pretty much after the same uninteresting 
model, the chief difference consisting of the de- 
grees of filth. There is less of the beautiful in 
scenery in the country at large than in almost any 
country I have visited. 

HONG KONG. 

We reached Hong Kong at the end of the third 
day. Hong Kong is an island about twenty-five 
miles in circumference, — an English possession 
taken as an indemnity in one of the wars, and 
ceded to Great Britain in 1841. There is scarcely a 
level acre upon the whole island. The typhoon de- 
stroyed a great part of the city and shipping in 
1874. I visited the Colonial Prison, where more 
than four hundred criminals of all nations were 
confined, and have never seen a penitentiary more 
neatly kept or apparently under better manage- 
17* 



i 9 4 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



ment. Among the prisoners were several Chinese 
women who had been convicted of child-stealing, — 
a very common crime. The boys are stolen and 
sold for boatmen, and the girls either for boat- 
hands, or for the brothels, to be educated for a life 
of infamy. 

I inquired of the superintendent if any form of 
oath was administered to the Chinese when they 
were called upon to testify in the courts, and was 
informed that none was used in cases of small im- 
portance, but in graver cases they were sworn by 
a cock's head : the cock is taken to the Joss- 
house or temple, the head cut off with some cere- 
mony, and on this, as basis of the most solemn 
oath that is administered, a Chinaman gives his 
testimony in an English court. 

CANTON AND ITS SIGHTS. 

Canton is situated on the Pearl River, ninety 
miles from Hong Kong, which is now the port of 
Canton, for scarcely a vessel goes up the river. 

The business of the place and the foreign com- 
merce is nearly all transacted at Hong Kong. An 
American river steamer leaves the latter port every 
morning at eight o'clock, and another returns each 
day at the same hour. The banks of the Pearl 
River are flat, but they are in a high state of culti- 
vation, covered with rice-fields and plantations of 
bananas, which were looking green and fresh, and 
added much to the beauty of the shores. Twelve 



AROUND THE WORLD. 195 

miles below Canton we reached Whampoa, once a 
place of some commercial importance, and soon 
after came upon the outskirts of the wilderness of 
boats, which forms one of the most remarkable 
sights of the great city. It is estimated that three 
hundred thousand of the people belonging to Can- 
ton live on the water in boats, not merely to obtain 
a livelihood from the water, but chiefly for the sake 
of a residence. The people are born, spend their 
days, and die in their boats, — the only homes and 
the only shelter they have from the time of their 
birth until they are committed to the grave ; and 
yet a happier-looking class of people I have not 
seen anywhere in China. I saw father, mother, 
and eight little children taking their breakfast of 
rice and fish and a few greens in one end of the 
boat, apparently as well contented as if they owned 
a palace. These boats are of all sizes and all 
sorts, the most of them small sampans, about the 
size of an ordinary row-boat, with a simple mat or 
bamboo covering over one half, while others are 
large and elaborately ornamented with carvings in 
wood and gold and paint, and some of them are 
occupied as restaurants and places of amusement, 
the large boats being usually moored alongside of 
each other, with long water-streets running between 
the blocks ; besides, there are innumerable crafts, 
junks of all sizes sailing or rowing up and down and 
across the river, making it exceedingly difficult at 



196 AROUND THE WORLD. 

times to find an opening through which to steer a 
boat. 

The men who live on the water go ashore for 
employment during the day, and the women ply 
the oars, and capital boat-hands they are. I gave 
them a decided preference over the men, for they 
are not only equally handy with the oar or the 
scull, but they are far more polite, and I may add 
more honest, than their other halves who are on 
shore at work during the day. 

One would imagine that a boat must be a dan- 
gerous place to bring up a family of children; but 
the mothers tie a joint of bamboo to each of the 
little ones, and if they tumble overboard it serves 
as a float, and they are recovered. They do not 
grieve much if the child never turns up, especially 
if it be a girl. 

TYPHOONS. 

There have been some fearful scenes among the 
floating population. The typhoons which sweep 
over the China seas and along the coast, and which 
are so destructive to shipping, seldom come so far 
inland as Canton ; but nine years since one of the 
most severe ever known passed over the city, and 
it is comparatively easy to imagine the havoc made 
with these floating homes of the poorer people, but 
impossible to describe or even conceive the scenes 
which followed. This wilderness of river-craft, 
which at ordinary times is so quiet and only sway- 



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197 



ing hither and thither with the tide, was like a 
heap of chaff before the tempest. The house- 
boats, many of which were of large size, became 
as dust to the wind, and were carried away no one 
knew where ; the heavier boats were sunk in great 
numbers, the occupants were hurled into the water 
as their homes were torn to pieces, and when the 
storm had passed and an estimate could be made 
of the loss of life, it was found that sixty thousand 
persons had perished. For a long time the river 
was strewn with dead bodies. 

Canton is regarded as the first city in the em- 
pire for wealth and elegance. It is the best built, 
and, what is no mean praise for a Chinese city, it 
is the cleanest. There is no external magnificence 
in any of the buildings ; indeed, when a stranger 
enters the gates of this or any other city that I 
have seen in China he bids adieu to the outside 
world, and even to the heavens, and wanders on in 
a labyrinth until he leaves the city itself. 

SILK -WEAVING. 

The silk-weaving which is largely carried on at 
Canton is accounted among its curiosities, but is 
chiefly interesting as showing how the most beau- 
tiful fabrics can be wrought in small and dirty 
hovels, and with purity. All the silks of China, 
for which Canton is most celebrated, are woven by 
hand on the rudest of looms by mere girls and 
boys. I watched, with no little surprise, the growth 



I98 AROUND THE WORLD. 

of a fine brocade, a little boy managing the harness 
and a little girl sitting at the loom and casting 
the shuttle. Every figure came out of their hands 
perfect, the whole piece looking as if it had just 
come from the fuller without spot. The Chinese, 
too, are the reverse of neat in their personal hab- 
its, and one soon comes to associate this with 
the blue cotton clothing which is seen whenever 
clothing is used at all. 

CHINESE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 

Birds'-nests are a luxury in China, being within 
the reach of the wealthy alone ; they are sold at 
prices graduated according to the quality of the 
article, none of any value bringing less than their 
weight in silver, and some bringing almost their 
weight in gold. Nests are sold as high as thirty 
or forty dollars per pound. Some naturalists main- 
tain that the gelatin is formed from a sort of sea- 
foam, which the swallow gathers, and which is 
exuded from the mouth of the bird. It resembles 
the gelatin known by the name of isinglass, and 
the purer sort is almost transparent. The nests 
come chiefly from the island of Java, where they 
are obtained with great labor and often at much 
peril from deep caves along the coast. Some of 
these caves on the southern coasts are approached 
only by a perpendicular descent of great depth by 
means of ladders, the raging of the sea below pre- 
venting all approach from the water. When col- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



199 



lected they are assorted into different grades, those 
which have not been occupied by the birds bring- 
ing the highest price, and other grades prices ac- 
cording to cleanliness and quality. From one to 
two million dollars' worth are imported every year 
into Canton. 

ANIMAL FOOD. 

The Chinese do not have as great a variety of 
animal food as the western nations, but they make 
use of some which most nations reject. In re- 
gard to the use of rats and puppies, I find a 
great diversity in the testimony of travelers and 
residents, some of the latter stoutly affirming 
that such animals are not eaten at all, or if so only 
in cases of extremity where nothing else in the 
shape of food can be obtained. But I have seen 
all these exposed for sale in the markets of Canton 
in the very heart of the city. There are several 
dog-markets where nothing else is sold, and where 
I have seen dogs dressed and ready-cooked. Rats 
also, alive and dead, fresh and dried, are regularly 
and constantly sold, and I have seen them in all 
these states of preparation as I have been passing 
by. One plump fellow I saw suspended by his tail 
from the market hook, waiting for a purchaser, but 
all the while struggling to escape, while the dried 
specimens hanging around him mocked his agony 
and awaited their destiny with more composure. 
There is no more reason for denying that such 



200 AROUND THE WORLD. 

animals are regularly sold for food in the markets 
of Canton than that beef or mutton are sold in 
New York or Philadelphia. 

SMALL FEET. 

The cultivation of small feet is not altogether 
peculiar to the higher classes, nor to those who 
are exempt from labor. In every city great num- 
bers of women — perhaps a quarter or more of the 
female population — may be seen toddling about 
the streets on their pegs, looking very much as if 
their feet had been cut off and they were walking 
on the stumps. It is difficult for them to balance 
themselves in walking, and they frequently resort 
to a third peg or cane to keep themselves straight. 
The custom of closely bandaging the feet from 
infancy is not so injurious as might be supposed, 
but it greatly interferes with locomotion. 

TEA. 

Every one who visits China or reads about it is 
naturally curious to learn something about the 
great staple of the country, which has become the 
common beverage of the world. The tea-plant is 
a shrub which, left to itself, would grow to the 
height of twenty feet or more, but as cultivated for 
the production of tea it is cut down and kept down 
to four or five feet in height. It is raised chiefly 
in the central regions; the leaves are gathered sev- 
eral times during the season, the earliest tender 
leaves being accounted the best. The first crop is 



AROUND THE WORLD. 2 OI 

usually gathered in the third year from planting, 
and at the end of about seven years the plants are 
renewed or cut down to the ground, new shoots 
springing up from the roots. Plants treated in this 
way will live for twenty-five to thirty years and 
produce good crops. 

CHINESE REVENGE. 

In China, when a man gets angry with another 
and wishes to be revenged upon him, instead of 
killing the object of his hatred he kills himself. 
The principle on which he does it is the supposi- 
tion that the man whom he hates will be answer- 
able for his murder, and will be more heavily 
punished by evil spirits in this world and in the 
world to come than if his life had been taken. It 
is certainly, for society, a safer mode of administer- 
ing vengeance than that which prevails in civilized 
countries, where the pistol and the bowie-knife are 
made to do their work upon unsuspecting victims. 

PREPARING FOR DEATH. 

The Chinese have a custom, quite peculiar to 
themselves, of ordering their coffins and having 
them sent home long before they have any thought 
of dying. They take peculiar pride in selecting 
the best materials, having them made good and 
strong, and, when they can afford it, in the most 
expensive style ; and then they take great pleasure 
in showing them to their friends, keeping them 
where they can be seen by all who call. 

18 



202 AROUND THE WORLD. 

RELIGIONS OF CHINA. 

The prevailing forms of religion in China are 
Confucianism, Buddhism, and Tauism. The former, 
which is the faith of the educated and influential 
classes, is more a system of philosophy and of 
morals than a religion : it is founded on the teach- 
ings of the great Chinese sage, who flourished 
about five centuries before the Christian era, whose 
reputed writings contain a vast amount of practical 
wisdom and pure morality. Buddhism is an im- 
portation from India, where it had its rise, and 
from which it passed over Eastern Asia and to 
the adjacent islands. Tauism lays claim rather to 
the vulgar classes : it is a mystic sort of religion, 
deals in incantations and astrology, and, like spirit- 
ualism, pretends to intercourse with the departed 
dead as well as the acknowledged evil spirits. The 
priests are generally ignorant men, and through 
mystic art, and by playing upon the superstition 
of the people, maintain their ascendency over 
them. 

GAMBLING. 

The Chinese are all gamblers, — gambling every- 
where, and for everything. Even the little boys, 
as I have often seen in going up to the fruit-stand, 
almost invariably cast the die to determine whether 
they shall have double or nothing for their money. 

SHIPWRECKS. 

The following account of the loss of the steamers 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



203 



Japan and Hong Kong is taken from a newspaper 
published in Hong Kong: 

"total loss of the japan. 

" With much regret do we announce the loss — 
and that one of the saddest nature — by fire — of the 
Pacific Mail Steamship Company's steamer Japan. 

" We give such particulars as have reached us 
to the latest moment of going to press. 

" Immediately upon receipt on Saturday of in- 
telligence we issued extras which we subjoin : 

"9 A.M. 

" Another misfortune has befallen the Pacific 
Mail Steamship Company in the total destruction 
by fire of the above excellent, valuable, and well- 
known craft. The intelligence reached Hong Kong 
at five o'clock this morning, when a boat arrived 
from the scene of the sad disaster. 

" Our information is that at eleven thirty p.m., en 
Thursday the 17th, a fire was discovered in the 
hold when the Japan was about forty miles south 
of Swatou Light. We cannot gather that the mails 
or anything was saved. 

" The Japan, Captain Warsaw, was a sister ship 
to the Alaska, of similar tonnage, built about seven 
years since. For two hours every possible effort 
was made to subdue the conflagration, but in vain, 
when the boats were necessarily resorted to. 

" Five boats made, it is believed, for land, while 
a sixth sailed for this port, bringing the chief 



204 AROUND THE WORLD. 

engineer, seven of the Chinese crew (including the 
cook's assistant), and a lady passenger. 

" There were four hundred and twenty Chinese 
passengers, and, from the limited number of boats, 
it is naturally feared there must be a sad loss of 
life. A coast-steamer is hourly expected, when 
we may glean further information. 

"The Yangtsze passed the locale of the loss, but 
did not perceive a vestige of the ill-fated Japan. 

" 2 p.m. — We gather that the crew were one 
hundred and twenty in number, so that in all there 
were some five hundred and forty souls on board- 
The catastrophe occurred one hundred and thirty 
miles from Hong Kong, near to Breakers Points. 
There were also twelve boats on board and a raft 
which could be made available for one hundred and 
fifty people, but we fear was not launched. 

" We learn that the lady passenger, Mrs. Strott, 
who arrived in the first boat (at five a.m. this day), 
has been removed to Government House, and is 
being kindly and carefully attended by Miss Ken- 
nedy. This morning, at nine o'clock, a second 
boat arrived here, containing the stewardess, the 
baker and eight Chinese. 

" From one of the survivors we gather that at 
about eleven thirty p.m., while asleep in his bunk, 
he was aroused by the butcher, and informed that 
a fire had broken out. He clothed himself scantily 
and proceeded on deck, and saw that the hose was 



AROUND THE WORLD. 205 

being prepared and taken down to the engine-room, 
from which flames were proceeding. The captain 
was on the spot, and was superintending. The 
flames were very strong and the engines had been 
stopped, and the engineers and assistants had gone 
topside. The flames soon communicated to fore 
and aft and to the ladies' cabin. 

" The chief mate some ten or fifteen minutes after 
advised every one to take care of themselves. For 
some time, however, water was continued to be 
thrown down, but in vain. 

" With the purser and butcher our informant 
went to the mail-room to try and secure the mails, 
when flames threw out, bursting the bulk-head, 
and they were obliged to make a speedy exit. 
Returned on deck and went on the hurricane-deck, 
and seeing a boat being lowered, jumped in from 
the guard, on the starboard side ; in this boat were 
the stewardess and eight Chinese. 

" Were nearly three hours in getting away, the 
sea being very rough. At last succeeded in drift- 
ing away, at which time the fire was coming up 
through the engine-room and centre of the vessel, 
and the water was quite black with Chinese who 
had thrown themselves overboard. 

" Succeeded in making sail the next morning, 

and about seven o'clock ran against a fishing-junk, 

and, striving for Swatou, arrived at two o'clock. 

The boat was taken on deck, and reached Hong 

18* 



206 AROUND THE WORLD. 

Kong at nine a.m., 19th. Two of the Japan's 
boats were chock full. The fire, it was thought, 
was over the boilers. 

" There were two cabin passengers (gentlemen), 
one lady passenger, and two gentlemen in the 
steerage. 

" The last seen of the captain was on the hurri- 
cane-deck, when he was going forward. There 
was not any land in sight. 

" At noon on Thursday were about three hun- 
dred and nine miles from Hong Kong, and should 
have arrived at two o'clock on Friday. There was 
not time for any one saving even an article of 
clothing, except what they had on. 

" The Saco and Yantic have left for the scene of 
the disaster. 

" Of the seven boats which were lowered, none 
other than the two previously mentioned have as 
yet reached this port. 

" Our evening contemporary has ' piled up the 
agony' pretty well in their extra issued on Satur- 
day, but has evidently again been ' crammed' (like 
unto its report of the Florencio) in its details. 
We believe the Japan left on the 14th, not on the 
nth; that it was due here at two p.m., and not 
eight A.m. on Friday ; that considering the sad oc- 
currence took place one hundred and thirty miles 
from Hong Kong, eight hours' steaming seems a 
good rate of speed ; that there were five hundred 



AROUND THE WORLD. 2 oy 

and forty persons on board, not four hundred and 
fifty ; that seven boats, not five, were lowered ; 
that the calamity occurred one hundred and thirty 
miles, not eighty, from here. 

" No reliable information could have arrived at 
by the ' Mail' as to nine-tenths of the crew being 
saved, but out of four hundred and twenty Chinese 
passengers only three saved is absurd, as by evi- 
dence we have procured. The statements as to 
the stewardess falling overboard into the boat just 
as it had been lowered, sustaining such injuries as 
to compel her to keep to her bed on arrival here ; 
that the purser and doctor were seen floating about 
without signs of life ; that the captain was seen 
standing on the deck enveloped in flames, are ' great 
crams.' Evidently the 'Mail' has been 'taken in,' 
as our American cousins would say. 

"The chief engineer (Mr. Cosgrave) is located 
at the Pacific Mail Steamship's office. Mrs. Strott 
is under the kind care of Miss Kennedy; and the 
stewardess is with Mrs. Moore (Lammert, Atkin- 
son & Company). The two European cabin pas- 
sengers were a Mr. Gilbert, and Dr. Tyndal, a 
consul at Canton. 

" It was believed there was considerable treasure 
on board the Japan, so that altogether the loss will 
be a serious one. 

" Below we give the evidence of one of the 
Chinese crew. We incline to the hope that if 



208 AROUND THE WORLD. 

either of the boats were capsized, most of the pre- 
vious occupants were rescued. 

" The Agamemnon, from Foochow, arrived yes- 
terday morning at nine o'clock, but the captain 
had not heard even of the loss of the Mongol, 
and had not noticed en route anything of the 
remains of the Japan, of the loss of which he was 
not aware. 

" The Chinaman states : ' I came from San Fran- 
cisco, which we left on the 14th of November. We 
had some rough weather. On the 17th, at half- 
past eleven p.m., as a rigger, I was on watch, when 
I saw smoke coming up the hatches. A sailor 
rang the ship's bell, which gave the alarm. The 
Chinese sailors rushed up on deck. There were 
twelve boats besides the captain's gig. I got into 
one of the boats on the starboard side with the 
chief engineer and six Chinese sailors. Our boat 
was the sixth lowered ; it was a large one. When 
I left, from the dense smoke, I could not see any 
one on deck. They must all have got into the 
other boats. I did not see any one swimming 
about in the water. Mrs. Strott was in another 
boat, which being too full we went alongside of, 
and I helped to pull the lady into the boat. She 
had not any boots or shoes on, and only one dress. 
I suppose we got away about one or half-past one 
a.m. All the other boats had left. I did not see 
the captain in any of the boats. Had he remained 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



209 



on board he could have got into our boat. The 
sea was very rough. We got away quick. As 
we left, the flames were coming up fore and aft, 
and from the engine-room. We had hard biscuits, 
as one hundred pounds are always put in each 
large boat, and two barrels of water (fifty pounds 
and one barrel of water being put in small boats). 
After about half an hour we succeeded in hoisting 
our sails and made for Hong Kong. We did not 
see any of the ship's boats. It was rough until 
we got to the Lye-ee-moon Pass. We did not ask 
assistance from the Chinese boats we passed, as 
ours was good enough. The lady was very sick, 
poorly and cold, and we wrapped a portion of our 
clothing around her. She did not, however, lie 
down. We reached Hong Kong and landed at 
the Canton wharf about five o'clock. We were 
all sick, more or less, and the engineer, having 
swallowed so much smoke, vomited nearly all 
night. At the breaking out of the fire smoke 
came up all along the deck. We took the lady to 
Boston Jack's ; the engineer went to the office, 
and the Chinese found their way to their friends' 
houses. I do not know what caused the fire or 
where it broke out. For about an hour after the 
fire all the hose was used until the flames came 
up and drove those engaged away. Our boat was 
thought to be too heavy to be lowered, but we suc- 
ceeded with much trouble, the engineer assisting.' 



210 AROUND THE WORLD. 

" Sunday afternoon, 3 p.m. — Since the above was 
in type the Yesso arrived between one and two 
p.m. this day, and on dispatching our shipping 
reporter, anxiously waiting his return, we had 
sincere gratification and thankfulness in imme- 
diately issuing as an extra the following official 
report from the captain of the Japan, and a re- 
port from the Yottung. It is impossible as yet 
to give a return as to the number of lives lost, 
all the boats not having been heard of, but we 
live in hopes that they may turn up and that 
more lives have been saved, including D. Tyn- 
dal (consul at Canton), Dr. Yates (surgeon), and 
others. 

" The P. M. S. S. Co.'s steamer Japan, four 
thousand three hundred and fifty-one tons, E. R. 
Warsaw, commander, left San Francisco Novem- 
ber 14, at noon, with twenty-four cabin, five Eu- 
ropean steerage, eight Japanese, and four hun- 
dred and twenty-two Chinese passengers, three 
hundred and seventy-five tons cargo, one hun- 
dred and sixty-eight boxes treasure, value three 
hundred and fifty-eight thousand five hundred 
and eight dollars, and twenty-one packages mail. 

" Had pleasant weather, with variable winds, 
during passage to Yokohama, arriving there on 
December 10, 10.40 a.m., landed twenty-two cabin, 
four European steerage, eight Japanese, four hun- 
dred tons cargo, and sixteen packages mails. Re- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 2 II 

ceived on board one European steerage, three 
Chinese passengers, forty-five tons cargo, six hun- 
dred tons coal, one bag mails, stores, etc. 

"Sailed from Yokohama on the nth, at four 
p.m., for this port ; experienced pleasant weather 
up to noon of the 17th, when the wind freshened 
into a strong breeze from northeast with high 
sea; at nine p.m. passed Lammock Light, distant 
five miles, under sail and steam; at 11.25 P - M - 
Breaker Point, bearing west half south, distant 
twenty-six miles, strong northeast monsoon, with 
rough sea, when the fire was first discovered and 
the engines stopped. The ship headed in shore, 
ventilators turned from wind, all five engines work- 
ing in perfect order, every effort made to subdue 
the fire ; at same time officers detailed to secure 
all boats preparatory to saving life. Every effort 
to save the mails proved fruitless, and, finding it 
impossible to subdue the fire, we abandoned the 
ship with last boat at one a.m. December 18, the 
ship then being enveloped in flames amidships 
directly in engine and fire-rooms, all communica- 
tion being cut off between forward and aft part of 
the steamer. 

" Remained until noon in the vicinity of the 
wreck saving life, and engaged a fishing-junk to 
assist; cruised in the vicinity of the wreck, and 
succeeded in saving one hundred and seventeen 
souls from boats and water. 



212 AROUND THE WORLD. 

" Seeing no more prospect of saving life, stood 
in for Cup Chi point. At 6.30 p.m. intercepted the 
British steamer Yottung, Captain Koch, who kindly 
took us on board and conveyed us to Swatow, 
where we were transferred to steamer Yesso for 
Hong Kong. 

" I beg to convey, on behalf of my officers, 
crew, and self, our sincere thanks to the English 
and American consuls at Swatow, Captain Koch 
and officers of the steamer Yottung, Captain Ash- 
ton and officers of the steamer Yesso, for their 
great kindness in rendering every possible assist- 
ance. 

" Saved, one cabin passenger, Mr. Crocker, 
twenty-four European crew, sixty Chinese crew, 
thirty-four Chinese passengers. 

" Missing, D. Tyndal (United States consul at 
Canton), Dr. Gates (ship surgeon), Mr. Bennett 
(first assistant engineer), two quartermasters, Har- 
ris and Sutton, Martin Cusack (cook), one steerage 
passenger. 

" E. R. Warsaw, 
" Late Commander of the S. S. Japan. 

" The steamer Yottung arrived at Swatow on the 
19th, having picked up the captain, officers, and 
ninety-four Chinese from the wreck of mail-steamer 
Japan. The Yesso left Swatow at 2.45 and proceeded 
to the place where it was supposed the wreck of the 
Japan was to be found. Searched for the wreck 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



213 



until midnight, but could not find her, the weather 
being hazy. On the 20th proceeded to Hong 
Kong." 

" LOSS OF A PASSENGER STEAMER. 

" The following telegram was received yesterday 
at Lloyds', dated Aden, February 26, eleven a.m. : 

" The Hong Kong steamer, from London to 
Japan, struck on a sunken rock off Abdel Kuri, 
and foundered. 

" Second mate and eighteen of the crew took 
to the boats, were picked up, and brought here by 
the Tiara steamer. Captain and seventeen of the 
crew left the vessel, and have not since been heard 
of. A lady and five children lost. The owners of 
the Hong Kong, Messrs. Watts, Milburn & Co., 
have also received from Messrs. James Burness & 
Son a telegram despatched yesterday at 8.36 a.m. 
from Messrs. Luke, Thomas & Co., of Aden, in 
the following words : 

" ' Inform owners immediately steamer Hong 
Kong struck sunken reef off Abdel Kuri islands 
and foundered. Lady passenger, five children, 
mate, chief and third steward, cook, fourth engi- 
neer, and butcher drowned ; eighteen men arrived: 
captain, seventeen (second boat) missing.' 

" The Hong Kong was an iron screw-steamer 
with four bulkheads. She was two hundred and 
ninety feet long, thirty-five feet broad, and twenty- 
five feet deep, and was built in 1871. Her gross 

19 



214 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



tonnage was one thousand eight hundred and 
eighty-one ; her burden two thousand eight hun- 
dred tons. She was classed A I at Lloyds' and 
fully insured; her value is estimated at about forty 
thousand pounds, and she carried, beside, a val- 
uable cargo. The Hong Kong was a fast China 
liner, and had twice made passages with new sea- 
son's tea, which were claimed as the fastest, though 
she did not start or arrive first. Her master was 
Captain W. G. Conley, who had, till he recently 
succeeded Captain Symmington, been chief officer 
of the same vessel. Both he and his officers were 
certificated. The Hong Kong left Gravesend on 
January 24, and arrived at Port Said on February 
10. Here she was to disembark Mr. Webster, 
of the Port Said and Suez Coal Company, who 
was one of her passengers. She left Port Said on 
the nth, passed Suez on the 13th, and must then 
have made her passage down the Red Sea and 
passed the Bab-el-Mandel Strait. The steamer 
was to touch first at Penang, afterwards at Singa- 
pore, then at Hong Kong, Yokohama, and Hiogo. 
The last point on the African coast she had to pass 
was Cape Guardafui, which is at the heel, as it were, 
of the African boot, and is at the northeastern 
extremity of Somaliland. 

" Between the promontory and the island of So- 
cotra, in latitude about 14 north, longitude about 
53 east, lie a number of islands and rocks. It 



AROUND THE WORLD. 215 

was here she struck, and it was not far from here 
that the same owners lost the Singapore in 1873. 

" It is not difficult to identify the unfortunate 
family which has lost six members. In the list of 
passengers furnished to us by the owners occurs 
the name of Mrs. Jane Walton, with her children, 
Alfred, Esther, Jane, Thomas, and Nellie, and, ac- 
cording to the brokers, this lady was going out to 
join her husband at Yokohama. The other pas- 
sengers were only three in number, namely, Mr. 
Colding, Mr. E. B. Peterson, and Mr. H. J. Lome. 
The first mate, who is described in the telegram as 
drowned, was Mr. F. L. Murphy. The five others 
who made up the total of twelve people known to 
have perished were: E. Pittman, chief steward; W. 
Phelps, third steward; C. Stocking, the cook; W. 
Smith, fourth engineer, and the butcher. Including 
the captain, there were forty persons among the 
crew, and there were nine passengers after Mr. 
Webster left. The fuller telegram — that for the 
owners— tells us of twelve drowned, eighteen saved, 
and eighteen who escaped in a boat but were not 
picked up by the Tiara. This leaves one out of 
the forty-nine persons in the ship unaccounted 
for ; but it is possible that one of the firemen 
was left at Suez, or, of course, that a slight in- 
accuracy was committed in the hurry of dis- 
patching the news. 

" The following is a list of the crew, exclusive of 



2i6 AROUND THE WORLD. 

those already mentioned by name. No one is de- 
scribed as butcher : 

" A. Pakeman, second mate ; F. Lawford, third 
mate ; Henry Fisher, boatswain ; David Nicoll, 
carpenter; James Tagg, lamp-trimmer; Jno. Orr, 
W. Robertson, E. Amos, and E. Borman, quarter- 
masters ; W. Wood, George Lord, Wm. Unwin, 
John Crawford, H. Champ, S. London, John Cham- 
pion, and James Lang, able-bodied seamen ; T. 
Wilkinson, chief engineer; F. O'Neill, second en- 
gineer; John Taylor, third engineer; T. Gillis, 
donkey-man ; G. M. King, storekeeper ; A. Mc- 
Kenzie, R. Hyder, G. Shenk, A. Von Tienen, J. 
Cornish, T. Burns, John Fernly, and George Min- 
chin, firemen ; E. Moorcraft, engineer's steward ; 
E. Pettman, chief steward ; G. Von Shultz, second 
steward ; Ah Fat, second cook ; Jose Da Costa, 
pantry-boy. 

" The Hong Kong was laden with a general 
cargo of two thousand four hundred tons, which in- 
cluded three hundred tons of gunpowder for Japan. 
The Somalis, on whose coast the missing vessel 
is expected to be found, have been recently de- 
scribed by Sir Bartle Frere. He says ' they are a 
handsome, active, intelligent race, more akin to the 
Arab than the Negro, and little known and much 
distrusted in the last generation by our own naval 
officers. They are now distinguished in their em- 
ployment at Aden as fishermen, laborers, and 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



217 



horse-keepers, etc., for their industry, intelligence, 
activity, and fidelity. Their occupations in their 
own country are generally pastoral.' It is added 
that they have recently taken to importing negro 
slaves at the rate of four thousand per annum, that 
they have always retained as slaves captives taken 
in war, and ' they seem to have been in the habit 
of keeping in their country any stranger who once 
entered it, and not allowing them to go away.' 
Probably since the British occupation of Aden 
this practice has been checked, but it is satisfactory 
to learn that a government vessel has gone in quest 
of the missing boat and the eighteen persons it 
contained. 

"TELEGRAM FORWARDED FROM INDIA OFFICE. 

" Aden, February 26. 

"'The Hong Kong struck on sunken rock of 
Abdel Kuri, near Socotra, five a.m. February 22, 
from Colombo to Liverpool (London for Japan), 
and foundered in eight minutes. Boat's crew of 
eighteen men arrived here, picked up by the Tiara 
steamer. Boat containing captain and seventeen 
men missing. Twelve persons drowned, among 
them lady passenger, Mrs. Daltern, and five chil- 
dren. Her Majesty's ship Kwantung sails imme- 
diately in search of missing boat, which may be 
found on Somali coast.' " 

" ANOTHER WRECK. 

" Intelligence has been received at Drogheda, 

19* 



2i8 AROUND THE WORLD. 

reporting the total wreck of an American bark of 
eight hundred tons' burden. A bucket and spars 
were washed ashore, bearing the name of ' Bell 
Hill.' She now lies within one hundred yards of 
the shore, on the rocks of Balbriggan. Three 
men have been washed ashore, completely ex- 
hausted, and two of them, although they received 
the best attention, have since died. The ship left 
Liverpool yesterday, bound, it is supposed, for 
Kingstown, and was caught in the storm." 

FROM HONG KONG TO SINGAPORE. 

After we had all — Jews and Gentiles, Persians, 
Hindoos, Mohammedans, and Americans — became 
acquainted, we had a very pleasant time during 
the voyage. Nor was religious conversation de- 
barred. Oriental and Western politeness allowed 
us to speak freely of each other's views without 
any offense being given. It would be rare to find 
so many religions represented where such freedom 
of intercourse and conversation was enjoyed. We 
had but fairly got out of the harbor, and from under 
the shelter of the headlands, when we caught the 
monsoon blowing fresh and strong. It was a 
delightful sensation, after five days' incessant toss- 
ing, to feel once more at rest, and still more 
delightful were our sensations when we stepped 
ashore, and found ourselves in an earthly paradise, 
— the most enchanting spot that I have ever looked 
upon in any latitude or in any clime. As I wan- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 219 

dered through the groves of spices and palm, and 
every form of tropical and oriental vegetation, I 
caught myself continually repeating the words of 
the old Mogul inscription, " If there be a paradise 
on earth, it is this, it is this." 

SINGAPORE. 

Singapore is situated on an island of the same 
name just at the extremity of the Malacca Penin- 
sula. It is an English colony, having been ceded 
to Great Britain in 1824. Some one has explained 
the name as meaning the place of lions, — rather an 
extraordinary name for a place where lions were 
never known. The island once abounded with 
tigers, which are still occasionally met with. It is 
said that in former times they carried off and ate 
one man a day on an average. A resident of more 
than twenty years, who had made the languages 
of the East a study, informed me the word Singa- 
pore means a place to touch at. This is very ap- 
propriate, for it is in reality the touching place for 
all steamers which pass eastward or westward, from 
whatever quarter they come. Constant communica- 
tion is kept up with the rest of the world, and 
scarcely a day passes without a visit from one or 
more of the grand fleet of steamers which are 
driving sails from the Eastern waters, as they have 
driven them from the Atlantic. 

Singapore is not an undesirable place for a resi- 
dence, being on the great high road of the nations 



220 AROUND THE WORLD. 

east and west, but its chief attractions are its de- 
lightful climate and its rare productions. Situated 
only one degree north of the equator, it enjoys 
perpetual summer, and the atmosphere being moist 
from the vicinity of the sea and from the frequent 
showers with which it is visited at all seasons, the 
heat is never oppressive, the thermometer seldom 
rising above ninety degrees. I have before me the 
meterological record of an entire year, in which 
the highest temperature noted was eighty-eight 
degrees, and the lowest seventy-three degrees in 
winter. 

NUTMEG GROVE. 

At the invitation of the proprietor, we took a 
morning walk into a grove of nutmegs occupying 
several acres : the trees grow to the height of about 
twenty-nine or thirty feet, resembling pear-trees in 
general appearance, and bear fruit about the size 
and shape of a Sickel-pear : the grove was in full 
bearing. Every morning a man walks through, 
carefully examining each tree to see if the fruit 
has opened, the cracking of the outer shell being 
an indication that the nutmeg is fully ripe. This 
opening of the shell reveals an inner case of the 
brightest vermilion, the ordinary mace of com- 
merce; and when this is removed the nutmeg is 
found in a third shell, much harder than the outside 
ones. I gathered several specimens, preserving 
some of them in their original trifold envelopes. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 2 2I 

This plantation has on it twelve thousand cocoanut- 
trees, and fifteen hundred nutmeg-trees, with cin- 
namon, cloves, and all kinds of spices. The clove 
grows in large clusters upon the extremities of the 
branches of a large tree, and was in season when 
we were at Singapore. 

PLANTATION. 

The Rev. Mr. Keasburg, who has spent more 
than thirty years as a missionary at Singapore, and 
who, although not connected with any society, is 
still prosecuting his work vigorously, — preaching, 
teaching, and superintending a printing establish- 
ment that is sending out among the various classes 
of natives, and into other regions along the Malacca 
coast and among the islands, a knowledge of the 
gospel, has reclaimed from the jungle, about two 
miles out of town, a small plantation, which yields 
all the fruits and spices of the tropics with a pro- 
fusion of shade made more delightful by its frag- 
rance. Among the trees and shrubs that I saw in 
his grounds were the following: pineapple, cocoa- 
nut, bread-fruit, orange, mango, jack-fruit, man- 
gostine, durian, custer-apple, coffee, chocolate, nut- 
meg, clove, cassia, etc., together with a variety of 
shade and ornamental trees, among which was the 
banyan. 

THE FAN-PALM. 

We took dinner with Mr. Keasburg on the 30th 
of December, 1874. The drive to his plantation 



222 AROUND THE WORLD. 

was one of the most beautiful imaginable, the road 
being lined with bungalows and plantations laid 
out with exquisite taste, and adorned with all the 
luxuriance of tropical vegetation. One of the 
most conspicuous trees upon the island was the 
fan-palm, — not the palm from which fans are made, 
but a large tree having the symmetry and shape 
of a fan, as flat as if it had been placed in a press, 
although the circle of the leaves alone is at least 
twenty feet in diameter. It resembles the tail of 
a peacock when fully spread. This singular tree 
is also called the traveler's fountain, on account of 
the large amount of water secreted by it, which 
flows out when the tree is punctured, affording to 
the traveler an abundant supply. 

One cannot go amiss at Singapore in looking 
for the beautiful : the whole island is covered with 
what seems a spontaneous growth of all that is 
graceful and attractive in vegetation, and animal 
life is not wanting to enliven the scene. 

The jungle and forest abound in birds of the 
richest plumage ; tribes of monkeys chatter among 
the branches of the trees, and occasionally a tiger 
makes his appearance when hard pressed for some- 
thing to eat, and often devours a man. 

MISSIONS. 

Singapore was once a very important mission- 
ary station, not so much in its relation to the per- 
manent population of the place, as on account of 



AROUND THE. WORLD. 



223 



its affording an opportunity to exert an influence 
upon China and other neighboring countries. It 
was a standing place on which to operate while 
the Celestial Empire was closed against foreigners. 
For a long period there has been a large Chinese 
population on the island, — so large as really to 
afford a broad field for the missionary to work. 

POPULATION. 

Singapore, for its size, has the most conglomerate 
population of any city in the world, almost every 
nation being represented. The variety in costume 
and appearance strikes the stranger at once ; it was 
the more noticeable to us coming from Japan and 
China, where the ordinary dress of the people is 
entirely uniform, — a dull-blue cotton. The wharf 
as we were leaving was one of the gayest scenes 
that we have met with. A large crowd, in all the 
colors of the rainbow, occupied the bank : there 
were Jews and Jewesses, elegantly dressed and 
glittering with jewels ; Americans, the ladies fine- 
looking and splendidly dressed ; Mohammedans, 
Bengalese, and Malays, in all sorts of bright colors, 
and many of them in plain dark color, — that in 
which they were born ; then there were English 
and French and other Europeans in their own 
national costumes ; besides the people, there was 
a grand display of gay-colored birds for sale, — 
parrots in green, crimson, yellow, white, etc. While 
we were waiting for the steamer to be off, boys, 



224 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



who seemed to belong to some amphibious tribe, 
amused the passengers by diving from boats for 
pieces of money thrown into the water, invariably 
catching them before they reached the bottom, 
which was about twenty-five feet below. In the 
midst of this variegated scene the order was given, 
and we were once more upon the sea. 

PENANG. 

Next is Penang. One Jew maintained that they 
might go ashore, but not go out in carriages, as 
that would be contrary to the command, " Seven 
days shalt thou labor," etc., this being the form 
in which he repeated it, and according to which 
he had probably been most accustomed to ob- 
serve the day. Another thought it right to ride 
an elephant on the Sabbath, but not to ride in a 
carriage. The result of the discussion was that 
some went on shore and spent the day as they 
chose, while others, more conscientious, remained 
on board and played cards for money. 

McDonald is the only missionary now at Pe- 
nang, and his labors are distributed among the 
various races which compose the population of the 
town, among which, very strangely, the Chinese 
appear to be the most numerous. They occupy a 
separate portion of the city, forming a distinct 
community. The Celestials, indeed, are scattered 
through all the cities of East India. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 2 2$ 

ANIMAL LIFE. 

These tropical regions are prolific of animal life 
as of vegetable. The most venomous snakes are 
quite at home in all these beautiful places, and 
they do not disdain an inviting bungalow for a 
residence. As we were driving through the city 
of Penang, a house was pointed out to me in which 
the proprietor found, on coming home one day, 
two boa-constrictors occupying his parlor, and 
waiting to give him a warm embrace; but he de- 
clined the compliment, and chose to have them 
put out of the way. 

Left Penang at ten o'clock on the 2d of January, 
1875, for the 

BAY OF BENGAL. 

The bay was like a mirror, and scarcely was a 
dying swell from a wave to be seen ; the air was 
delightfully warm, and in the calmness which set- 
tled down over the sea great numbers of flying-fish, 
tempted from their native element to try their 
wings in a lighter atmosphere, skimmed along the 
surface in flocks; immense sea-turtles also came to 
the surface to sun themselves, and were not roused 
from their slumbers until we were just upon them. 
These waters are inhabited by snakes which 
sometimes reach a large size, very inconveniently 
making their way into cabin-windows, or on deck, 
when a stray rope hangs over the side by which 
they can work their way on board. We saw them, 



226 AROUND THE WORLD. 

but happily had no visit from them on board. 
Some of our passengers took the precaution to 
close their ports, lest they should find in their 
cabins these unwelcome visitors. 

We left the Straits of Malacca at three o'clock 
on the 2d of January, 1875, and started once more 
on the open sea for Point De Galle, or Ceylon. 
It took six days to go from Penang to De Galle. 
Put up at the Oriental Hotel ; arrived January 7, 
1875. 

THE HARBOR OF GALLE. 

Here the thermometer is eighty or ninety de- 
grees in winter. It is very warm at present. We 
took a drive of seven miles, and visited the cinna- 
mon groves and neighboring gardens, realizing 
more than the poetic sentiment of Ceylon's spicy 
breezes. 

Galle's productions are the cinnamon gardens, 
cardamom, coffee, sugar, pepper, cocoanuts, coir 
cotton-cloth, jagery, fine cabinet-wood, shells, rice, 
grain, tobacco, bread-fruit, manganese, iron, silk, 
hemp, indigo, rubies, topazes, sapphires, ame- 
thysts, garnets, pearls, etc. From Galle to Co- 
lombo the country is rich in palm-trees; there are 
no less than twenty million majestic trees in the 
island, which has two million inhabitants, and 
Point De Galle has about thirty thousand inhab- 
itants. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 227 

MISSIONARIES. 

From many disparaging sentiments I had heard 
by the way about missionaries, their work and 
their converts, I was the more anxious to obtain 
information as to the facts of the case, and it was 
pleasant to hear from the Rev. Mr. Marks, mis- 
sionary, that their lives and conduct would bear 
comparison with the average of home professors. 
He also informed me that the great want of Ceylon 
was more laborers to gather the ripening harvest 
of missionary culture. Galle itself is close, and 
the air is damp; but it is a most beautiful city. 

MADRAS. 

We left Point De Galle on the 17th of January 
for Madras, reaching that place in three days' sail. 
Stayed there one day. Madras has a population 
of about three hundred thousand ; it is a fine city. 
We took a carriage and drove all through the 
place, visiting the Juggernauts and the monstrous 
car on which they are annually exalted; but the 
gods, the people, the cars, and the priests, all look 
like decay, and the annual turn-out is regarded 
more as a holiday than a religious ceremony. The 
gods are rivals, and each have their partisans. 
There have been thousands of people crushed by 
this wheel. The people of India come from all 
parts, lie down and let the wheels pass over them, 
crushing them instantly. This they think secures 
their going- to heaven. The car on the wheels is 



228 AROUND THE WORLD. 

about thirty feet high ; the wheels, six in number, 
are six feet in diameter, and fourteen inches wide. 

We went to see the botanical gardens in this 
city; we saw all kinds of monkeys, and wild ani- 
mals ; the garden was beautiful and splendid. We 
visited the place where they burned their dead ; 
there were several then burning in the place, and 
as the guards stirred them up we could see the 
bodies. Their nearest relatives put up an urn 
made of clay, take the ashes, put them into the 
urn, which is made tight and thrown into the sea. 
They expect the souls to go to heaven. 

We went all through Madras, which is a very 
difficult port to enter. 

THE SURF 

runs very high, sometimes making it impossible to 
land. We landed when the sea was calm, and it 
was even then difficult. Two men carried us from 
the sea to the shore, and the same way back again. 
We left Madras at one o'clock on the 20th of 
January, 1875, and took the sea for Calcutta. 

CEYLON. 

We received a visit this morning from Signor 
Caprani, a young Italian, who speaks English with 
great fluency ; he is one of the lieutenants of 
Thomas Cook, the great organizer of traveling 
tours, and is in charge of a small party of travelers 
who left London on the 4th of September, and 
have reached Ceylon after traversing the States of 



AROUND THE WORLD. 229 

the great American Republic, exploring much of 
Japan, and seeing not a little of the Chinese Em- 
pire. Only five of the party are traveling through 
Ceylon, where they will remain till Saturday next, 
when they proceed to Calcutta. Kandy, Gampola, 
Nuwara Eliya, the Hakgala Gardens, Dimbula, 
and Nawalapitiya, are places on the list of the 
leader of the party to be visited in the next few 
days. They left for Kandy by the afternoon train 
to-day. 

It may be not uninteresting to give a brief re- 
sume of the places visited by these gentlemen 
since they left London, little more than three 
months ago. New York was the first place where 
they " rested the sole of their foot," and here they 
stayed for five days, proceeding thence to Phila- 
delphia and Washington, which places were well 
" lion"ed. From the capital of the Republic they 
proceeded northwest through the oil region of 
Pennsylvania, where they "struck ile" in the shape 
of unsavory recollections of injustice done to the 
olfactory nerves ; but soon after reaching Niagara, 
the feast of wonder provided by Nature for eye and 
ear relieved the other and offended organ. Chi- 
cago was the next halting-place, and here was 
surely sight-seeing in abundance: the great gaps 
where fire had so disastrously raged, the famous 
stores of the great grain city on the shore of Lake 
Michigan, and the State Exhibition then in " full 
20* 



230 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



swing." Two days were spent in Salt Lake City, 
the sacred city of Mormonism. An interview with 
that clever, worldly-wise man, though arch-impos- 
tor, Brigham Young, who was designated by one 
of the party as "a fine-looking old man, but a great 
scamp nevertheless," was obtained contrary to ex- 
pectations, Brigham being in ill health. It seems 
that one of the apostles, Joseph Smith, had been 
a member of a Cook's tourist party through Pal- 
estine, and as soon as he heard that a detachment 
of that great army was in Utah and wished to see 
the " much-married" man, as Artemus Ward called 
Brigham, he used his influence to procure an inter- 
view, to the great gratification of Signor Caprani 
and his friends. Proceeding along the trans-Pacific 
line to San Francisco, — we are surprised that a 
detour was not made to the great Yosemite region, 
— the party had a pleasant time in the most won- 
derful city on that side of the Pacific, San Francisco, 
built, as it is, on land where thirty years ago the 
waves of the sea washed over a sandy shore. The 
story is told that it was no uncommon thing years 
ago for a carriage and pair of horses to fall through 
the roadway of the principal street of San Fran- 
cisco, owing to the hurried and " scamped" work 
of the piling on which the " metal" (not the fa- 
mous Californian yellow metal) was laid. De- 
siring to reach the Old World, a long sea-voyage 
of twenty-five days, even in a Pacific mail-boat 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



231 



going over twelve knots an hour throughout, was 
before the tourists, and the dismal forebodings of 
those who shared Dr. Johnson's views of traveling 
in ships were fully borne out in the drear monot- 
ony ("not a rock even to be seen from shore to 
shore") of the voyage, and the bad cooking of in- 
different food which marked the cuisine of the 
Colorado, though it is only fair to the Pacific Mail 
Company to say that exceptional circumstances 
led to this result. Yokohama was the first port of 
call of the Colorado, and here the party landed, 
being favored during their whole stay with fine 
weather, though it was the time of " much rain," 
according to local meteorologists. All the prin- 
cipal sights of Japan were visited, the inland sea, 
Yeddo, Osaka, etc. A stay was made at Naga- 
saki, and the next land " made" was the " Flowery 
Land," Shanghai being the port of embarkation. 
A week's detention occurred here through losing 
the M. M. steamer, and at length passages were 
secured by the P. and O. steamer, which took 
them to Hong Kong, and they reached the latter 
port some days after the S. S. Japan (of the Pacific 
Mail line) had been burnt to the water's edge and 
sunk almost in sight of Hong Kong. Not unnat- 
urally, the news of this disastrous event caused 
these roamers o'er land and sea a shadow of anx- 
iety. A stay of two and a half days enabled the 
most active of the party to run up to Canton, 



232 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



where some of them were so enchanted with what 
they saw, and so desirous of " shopping" in the 
famous Chinese city, that they were left by their 
friends to come on in the Sindh, due at Galle on the 
Thursday following. The party express their great 
indebtedness to Archdeacon Gray of Hong Kong, 
who gave some of his time to cicerone the party, 
and did this so successfully that this was the most 
thoroughly " done" of all the places they visited. 
Brief stays were made at Singapore and Penang, 
the next halting-place being Ceylon. 

As we have said, the more active of the party 
are now visiting the coffee districts ; and after 
leaving Ceylon the whole company proceed to 
Madras and Calcutta, spending twenty-eight days 
in India. Egypt, from Cairo as a centre, will be 
gazed at, and the party will break up at Alex- 
andria, where Mr. Cook has a large agency. Sig- 
nor Caprani goes from Alexandria to take charge of 
a company for Palestine. Two of the party (be- 
sides the representative of Mr. Cook) are Italians ; 
and Signor Caprani expresses the hope that this 
trip will demonstrate to many of his well-to-do 
countrymen how much better it would be for them 
to make " i giro del mondo a vapore," as the Ital- 
ian circular of Messrs. Cook & Sons has it, than 
to find their recreation in the region of the cafes. 
We can only add that new Italy will be the better 
for the traveling of her sons. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 233 

CALCUTTA. 

Calcutta, India, January 24, 1875. — Calcutta is 
about a hundred miles from the mouth of the 
Hoogly, — one of the outlets of the Ganges. The 
greater part of the distance up from the sea the 
banks of the river are a wild jungle, through which 
are scattered sometimes in groves the cocoanut and 
the palm, the whole vegetation having a strictly 
oriental aspect. The banks of the stream are as 
flat as those of the Lower Mississippi. Near the 
mouth of the Hoogly stands a monument, sad as 
a memorial, and strikingly suggestive of adven- 
tures which are still to be met with in all parts of 
India. It marks the spot where a young lady 
once disappeared in the grasp of a tiger. A ves- 
sel from home was detained by the tide, and a 
number of passengers concluded to go on shore 
and while away the time by a stroll among the 
palms. One of the party strayed a little from the 
rest, when a scream was heard ; they ran to her 
assistance, but only in time to see her carried off 
by one of the tigers that still infest the jungles, 
even in the vicinity of the towns. 

THE BANYAN. 

About two miles below Calcutta, among many 
of the choice trees of the tropics, stands one of 
the finest specimens of the banyan-tree in all 
India ; I do not know the number of its trunks, 
but one of these trees is described as having- three 



234 AROUND THE WORLD. 

hundred and fifty large branches that have shot 
down and become rooted, forming three hundred 
and fifty large trees and more than three thousand 
smaller ones, making from one tree, still joined 
together by its branches, an immense grove. We 
went to see it by carriage. 

WATER SUPPLY. 

The city is supplied with water from immense 
tanks, reservoirs of one or two hundred feet square 
sunk into the ground, but left entirely open. The 
natives walk down into them, bathe their bodies 
and wash their clothes, and then fill their jars or 
goat-skins with the water for drinking and other 
domestic uses. This is a specimen of native 
cleanliness. 

The streets are watered by a truly oriental 
method. Each waterman has instead of a cart a 
goat-skin taken off entire, and forming an im- 
mense bottle left open at the neck ; this is sus- 
pended by a strap over the shoulders of a coolie, 
who seizes the neck with one hand, and, as he 
walks along, deftly throws the water hither and 
thither. Large numbers of these coolies are kept 
constantly employed sprinkling the streets, which 
are as well watered by this method as by our own. 

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. 

The European population of India, of whom 
the natives of the British Isles form by far the 
largest part, is about one hundred and sixty 



AROUND THE WORLD. 235 

thousand. They are chiefly engaged in the public 
service, military and civil, although in the princi- 
pal cities there is a large mercantile population. 

During the hot season all business requiring 
active exertion is crowded as much as possible 
into the early morning, especially if it makes ex- 
posure to the sun necessary. The army-drill is 
over by eight or nine o'clock; traveling is done 
by night and during the middle of the day; the 
struggle for existence is most wisely managed by 
ceasing the struggle altogether, and giving one's 
self up to perfect quiet. 

THE PUNKA. 

The slightest exercise produces violent perspi- 
ration, and the same effect follows the suspension 
of the punka. The punka is a broad fan sus- 
pended overhead, and usually stretching across 
the room ; in the dining-room, reaching the length 
of the table, it is moved by coolies in an anteroom, 
who, by means of a cord attached to the punka, 
draw it back and forth. Every private house, 
every place of business, and every assembly-room 
is supplied with this indispensable requisite. The 
churches have suspended over the heads of the 
congregation immense punkas, which wave back 
and forth majestically during the entire service. 
Rev. Mr. Hutton, missionary, says, " The first 
time that I was called upon to address a congre- 
gation through such a medium, I found it far less 



236 AROUND THE WORLD. 

suggestive of ideas and suitable emotions than if 
I had been speaking to the people face to face." 
But even the heat of a church would be unen- 
durable without the punkas. They are quite as 
essential at night in the homes during the hot 
season ; no sleep can be had without them. Nor 
are they such a severe task upon the coolies as 
might be supposed. They are paid for the service, 
and it is their only support ; they luxuriate in the 
heat as do the natives of Africa, and they have 
their time for rest : few natives of any country in 
the East die of hard work. 

TEMPERANCE. 

I have never been in any land where free in- 
dulgence within the bounds of temperance was 
more generally the rule. Foreign residents rise 
early all the year round, and take a cup of tea 
with toast or some light food immediately on 
rising; this is chotahazril or the little breakfast. 
About nine or ten o'clock comes the real break- 
fast, usually an elaborate meal of fish, eggs, and 
some preparation of rice, with meats : at one 
o'clock, taffin, a still more hearty meal, is taken ; 
and at seven or eight o'clock, dinner, which is the 
meal of the day, and is much after the pattern of 
an English or American dinner. This generous 
style of living seems to agree with the people ; for 
instead of the yellow- or dark-skinned, shrunken- 
livered, diseased race that I expected to see, I 



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237 



found the gentlemen robust and rosy-faced, to my 
great astonishment, and the ladies equally well- 
favored. They assured us that we found them at 
their best in the midst of the cool season, when 
they were luxuriating in a genial temperature; but 
from the general aspect of the foreign residents I 
felt convinced that India had been greatly belied, 
or that foreigners had learned to adapt themselves 
to its climate better than in years past. 

HEAT. 

I was informed by a gentleman who had resided 
near the Himalaya Mountains, on the plain, for 
thirty years, that he had often seen the thermome- 
ter for weeks standing at mid-day, in the shade, 
at one hundred and ten, one hundred and twenty, 
and one hundred and thirty degrees, and at night 
it seldom falls, during the hot season, below ninety 
or one hundred degrees. This would be almost 
insupportable but for the punkas, which are kept 
moving night and day. 

The mountains and high table-lands afford a 
refuge, like the shadow of a great rock in a weary 
land, to those who are able to remove. In June, 
when the heat is at its greatest, the clouds pile up 
and the southeast monsoon bursts upon the land, 
attended with terrific storms of thunder and light- 
ning and torrents of rain. 

SAND-STORMS. 

The sand-storms of India are even more re- 



238 AROUND THE WORLD. 

markable than the rain : they are violent whirl- 
winds, occurring occasionally in the dry season, 
gathering up the dust and carrying it over the 
country in such volumes as actually to make mid- 
day as dark as midnight. 

AMERICAN ICE. 

One of the greatest luxuries in India is Amer- 
ican ice, which at the principal ports is received in 
large quantities and is freely used. It comes from 
Boston, and is no inconsiderable item in the trade 
with Bombay and Calcutta. The price of ice at 
Bombay and Calcutta varies from two and a half 
to five cents per pound, according to the supply, 
and even at those rates it is accounted as indis- 
pensable to living as in American cities, and the 
luxury is inconceivably greater. If it is a bless- 
ing in America, where the thermometer sometimes 
reaches ninety-five degrees as the extreme heat of 
the day, what a boon must it be in the north of 
India, where for days and nights together the ther- 
mometer does not fall as low as one hundred de- 
grees, and where it often reaches in the day one 
hundred and twenty and one hundred and thirty 
degrees! But the most of the people of India 
never see ice, — it is a miracle in their eyes. 

CALCUTTA TO BOMBAY. 

The route by rail from Calcutta to Bombay is, 
by way of Allahabad, a distance of one thousand 
four hundred and seventy miles ; another two thou- 



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239 



sand two hundred miles was completed in March, 
1870. Passengers from England to Calcutta and 
the cities up the valley of the Ganges had sailed 
direct from Calcutta by the Cape or through the 
Red Sea, but now they land at Bombay, where 
they take the rail to Allahabad, eight hundred and 
forty-five miles, and thence to Calcutta, six hun- 
dred and twenty-five miles, or to the North Indies, 
two thousand two hundred miles. 

OPIUM. 

Opium is produced in Bengal almost exclusively 
in a district lying along the Ganges, about six hun- 
dred miles long and two hundred miles broad. It 
is the dried juice of the capsules of the common 
white poppy, extracted before the seed is fully ripe. 
The poppy fields, when in full bloom, resemble 
green lakes studded with white water-lilies, the 
tract of country in which . they grow being per- 
fectly level. 

THE NATIVES OF INDIA. 

Native society ! Why, there is no such thing. 
The women never see any one, and the men spend 
their time eating and sleeping. This is a strong 
statement, but with exceptional cases it is the 
truth. There is no social life among the native 
population of India. The woman is no society to 
her husband, the only man whom, as a rule, she 
ever meets ; the man is no society for his wife ; he 
regards her as belonging to an inferior order of 



240 



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beings, created to administer to his pleasure and 
comfort as a servant. There is nothing like social 
intercourse between brothers and sisters and out- 
side of the family ; society, in our understanding 
of the term, has no existence. Life is a dreary 
waste, judging by the standards which prevail in 
all countries with which we are familiar. 

It is not for want of people that there is no so- 
ciety in India. Within the compass of one thou- 
sand nine hundred miles in one direction and one 
thousand five hundred in another, there are two 
hundred millions of people thrown together. The 
most numerous of these are the Hindoos, who com- 
pose about three-fourths of the population, or one 
hundred and fifty millions. Then come the Mo- 
hammedans, who number about twenty-five mil- 
lions. The remaining eighth is made up of the 
aboriginal tribes, whose direct descendants still 
number several millions, the Parsees, the Budd- 
hists, the Jews, and the Christians. The Hindoos 
are the grossest idolaters that ever existed ; their 
forms of idol worship and service have reached 
the lowest degradation, and yet the Mohamme- 
dans, whose religion is essentially a protest against 
idolatry, have lived with them for long centuries, 
and each have maintained their own religion intact. 

The traveler going into their bazaars and mar- 
kets has his curiosity still more excited. Their 
habits and customs, so far as he is allowed to ob- 



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241 



serve them, will keep awake all his powers of ob- 
servation. The costumes of the Hindoos are the 
same^that were worn centuries before the Christian 
era; that of the men usually consists of two pieces 
of wide cotton cloth, one of which is wrapped 
around the waist and falls to the calf of the leg, 
the other thrown ioosely over the shoulder. A 
shawl or turban of some kind thrown upon the 
head completes the dress. The women have a 
single piece of cloth, ■ silk or cotton, plain or 
colored, eight or ten yards long, which is first 
partly tied around the waist, forming a garment 
that reaches to the feet; the rest is then passed 
around the body and over the head, falling down 
the back ; a tight bodice is frequently worn under- 
neath. The dress, especially that of the women, 
has a graceful appearance, and, as the colors are 
often bright, a company together presents a strik- 
ing appearance. 

THE BRAHMINS. 

The Brahmins eat no animal food of any kind, 
having a religious abhorrence of the destruction 
of life ; some of them have the water they drink 
carefully strained, lest it should contain a gnat. 
Even eggs are forbidden, as possessing the germ 
of animal life. All Hindoos of every caste abstain 
from beef. Mohammedans, of course, eschew pork. 
Brahmins and others of high caste abstain from 
all intoxicating drinks, using only water or pure 



242 



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milk. The rules of caste are not broken by crime : 
a man may commit a murder, adultery, theft, or 
perjury, and even be convicted of such crimes, 
without losing caste ; but if he violates any of the 
ceremonial laws, especially if he should eat with a 
European, even with a Mohammedan of India, or 
with any one not belonging to his class, he would 
be degraded, and only by the most humiliating 
process of atonement and by paying an enormous 
sum could he be restored at all. A Brahmin was 
once forced by a European to eat meat; although 
his offense was involuntary, he could not be re- 
stored after three years' penance even by the offer 
of forty thousand dollars' ransom. He subse- 
quently regained his former position by the pay- 
ment of one hundred thousand dollars' ransom. A 
while ago in India a high-caste Hindoo was present 
at an entertainment, partly social and partly official, 
given by Europeans, and partook of some articles 
of food in their society; he was afterwards com- 
pelled to pay a heavy fine, to eat the excrements 
of beasts, and to humble himself before an idol 
with costly presents before he could be recognized 
by those of his own caste. 

THE GANGES. 

Great numbers of Hindoos, men and women, 
have come down the long flights of steps to bathe 
in the Ganges, and all along we see them perform- 
ing their ablutions with religious solemnities, hop- 



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243 



ing thus to wash away their sins ; others are wor- 
shiping the river itself, bowing often and repeat- 
ing their prayers, absorbed in their devotion, and 
apparently unconscious of the presence of others. 
Every now and then we come to a landing-place 
devoted to the burning of the Hindoo dead. We 
pass pile after pile made ready for the cremation ; 
from some the smoke and flames are ascending to 
perfume the city, making this quarter of the town 
almost unendurable, excepting to a Hindoo. 

BENARES TO ALLAHABAD. 

The night is the time to travel in India at all 
seasons of the year. As there was little that was 
attractive in the scenery which we were to pass, 
we left Benares at the same time of the evening 
at which we had entered it. We crossed the 
Ganges in the beautiful moonlight, which spread 
a wondrously weird sheen over the massive monu- 
ments to the false prophets, and upon its thousand 
diminutive Hindoo temples and shrines along its 
magnificent banks. Were we in the mystical land 
of the Arabian Nights, or in the dream-land of the 
Hindoo Mythology? 

BENARES. 

In one respect Benares has a peculiar import- 
ance; it is the chief place of pilgrimage, and 
through the multitudes that gather here every 
year an influence may be sent out into every part 
of the land. Situated at the confluence of the two 



244 



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most sacred rivers of Hindostan, the Ganges and 
the Jumna, the spot is regarded by all Hindoos as 
one of the holiest places in the world. They come 
to it from all parts, and at all times of the year, to 
bathe where the two rivers meet, and thus to wash 
their sins away. 

There is an annual mela or gathering at this 
place in the month of January, when hundreds of 
thousands come together, and every twelfth year, • 
owing to some propitious conjunction of the stars, 
there is a special gathering, when the number of 
pilgrims is sometimes counted by millions. I had 
seen them far up the north the week before coming 
down in large companies ; they continued to. arrive 
at all hours of the day and night for days and even 
weeks, like a continuous procession. Some of the 
wealthier people came on elephants, others on 
camels, many of them, especially the aged and 
feeble, in carts drawn by bullocks or cows, but the 
most of them on foot, with. the dust and dirt of 
their long pilgrimage upon them. 

In the vast crowd were thousands of faquirs or 
devotees, who were almost naked and covered with 
dirt, their hair matted with filth, more disgusting 
in their appearance than swine, and accounting 
themselves all the more holy because of the ex- 
cessive filth in which they had chosen to live. 

Bathing in muddy streams and living in abomin- 
able filth seem to be the two leading; articles in the 



AROUND THE WORLD. 245 

creed of the Hindoos, at least of those who pretend 
to eminent holiness: the very reverse of the Chris- 
tian maxim that cleanliness is a part of godliness. 
More abominable or more horrid specimens of hu- 
man nature than these faquirs can scarcely be con- 
ceived, and the more painful part of it was that the 
poor ignorant people have been taught to regard 
these filthy, depraved brutes in human shape as 
pre-eminently holy. 

Some of the devotees had made their pilgrimage 
all the way upon their hands and knees ; others 
by dragging themselves along the ground, and 
one man, perhaps more, by measuring his length 
like an inch-worm, lying down, making a mark at 
his head, and then lying down with his toes at the 
mark, and so making his progress towards the 
consecrated spot ; one man whom I saw at the 
mela had held his right hand above his head eleven 
years, and was, of course, accounted an eminent 
saint. 

After the pilgrims have been shaven, and have 
bathed and performed other religious services, 
they devote themselves to social intercourse, to 
traffic, and often to all manner of wickedness, so 
that the mela becomes a mixed scene, the religious 
part bearing but a slight proportion to the whole. 

I believe that the whole system of idolatry is 
now sustained more by the avarice of the Brahmins, 
who become wealthy from their perquisites, and by 



246 AROUND THE WORLD. 

the incidental gains connected with it, than the re- 
ligious feelings of the people. Priestcraft has a 
mighty power in keeping up rites which, if left to 
the choice even of ignorant people, would speedily- 
come to an end. 

AGRA AND TAJ. 

About a mile to the south of the fort at Agra, 
upon the river Jumna, lies a beautiful park about 
a quarter of a mile square, planted with the choicest 
trees and shrubs and flowers of the East. 

More than eighty fountains scattered along the 
avenues of this park throw their jets into the air, 
which sparkles with the falling drops as with a 
shower of diamonds. It is surrounded by a high 
wall, and guarded by a magnificent gateway, a 
building fifty or sixty feet in height, which, with 
any other surroundings, wouid be studied and ad- 
mired for its architectural grandeur and the beauty 
of its carving and mosaic ornamentation. No one 
would imagine it to be simply the portal to greater 
beauty and grandeur, but such it is. 

We enter beneath this majestic arch, and find 
ourselves within the park. A broad avenue, skirted 
with lofty cypresses, acacias, and other oriental 
trees, and tanks of aquatic plants and jets d'emt, re- 
veals at its extremity an object which at once rivets 
the eye, and steals over the heart like a strain of 
delicious music or like the melody of sublime 
poetry; it is the Taj, — the peerless Taj, — the 



AROUND THE WORLD. 247 

mausoleum erected by the Emperor Sha Jehan as 
the tomb of his favorite Begum, Noor Mahel, and 
in which they now sleep side by side. She died 
before him, in giving birth to a child; and it is 
stated that as she felt her life ebbing away she 
sent for the emperor, and told him she had only 
two requests to make: first, that he would not 
take another wife, and have children to contend 
with her's for his favor and dominions, and, sec- 
ondly, that he would build the tomb for her that 
he had promised, to perpetuate her memory. The 
emperor summoned the medical counselors of the 
the city to do everything that was in their power 
to save her life, but all in vain. 

Sha Jehan, who was devotedly attached to her, 
at once set about complying with her last request. 
The tomb was commenced immediately, and, ac- 
cording to Tavernier, who saw its first and last 
stones laid, it was twenty-two years being built, 
with twenty thousand men constantly employed 
upon it. It cost in actual expense, in addition to 
the forced labor of the men, more than three hun- 
dred lacs of rupees, or about fifteen million dollars. 
Such a building, including the cost of materials, 
could scarce be erected by paid labor at the 
present time, even in India, for fifty million dollars. 
This building is acknowledged by every traveler 
to be unrivaled, and the sight of it declared by 
many to be worth a journey around the world. 



248 AROUND THE WORLD. 

Let us enter, but breathe softly and tread gently 
as you step within. It is the sleeping-chamber, 
where lie, side by side, Noor Mahel and Sha 
Jehan, each on a couch of almost transparent 
marble, set with precious stones and wrought ex- 
quisitely in tracery of vines and flowers. Nowhere 
else has human dust been laid away to slumber 
in such superb repose, — so beautiful, so silent, so 
sacred, so sublime! In such perfect and exquisite 
taste is everything within, as well as without, that 
it is more like a creation than the work of man. 

The whole interior, which is lighted only from 
the lofty doorway, is open from wall to wall and 
from the pavement to the summit of the dome, 
with the exception of a high' marble screen stand- 
ing about twenty or thirty feet from the outer wall, 
and extending entirely around the building. This 
is cut into open tracery, so as to resemble a cur- 
tain of lace rather than a screen of solid marble. 
The sarcophagi containing the remains of the em- 
press and her faithful lover, the Mogul Emperor, 
lie in the crypt below, which is reached by a mar- 
ble stairway. That of the former has inscribed 
upon it, in the graceful Arabic characters, " Moon 
taj i Mahel Ranoo Begum" (Ranoo Begum, the 
ornament of the palace), with the date of her death, 
1 631; the other has inwrought the name of the 
emperor, with the date of his death, 1666. To 
this day they are covered with fresh flowers, strewn 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



249 



by faithful hands in recognition of the fidelity 
which raised the structure. 

The building, which was well filled, had no 
benches, the whole congregation, according to 
oriental custom, being seated on the floor, each 
one clothed in pure white, the women and girls 
with their long muslin garments drawn over their 
heads as veils, and all devoutly engaged in the 
service, joining in the responses and in prayer, 
bowing their foreheads to the pavement. The ser- 
vices were conducted in the Hindostanee tongue, 
and were unintelligible to us ; but before us was 
a congregation of people who had been called out 
of the grossest idolatry, now devoutly engaged in 
worshiping the Saviour of the world, joining with 
Christians of all lands in the song of the heavenly 
host, " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth 
peace and good will toward men !" 

This is one of the numerous scenes witnessed 
in India which show that the gospel of Christ, 
through the power of the Divine Spirit, is making its 
conquests, and giving promise of a day when it shall 
completely triumph over idolatry and superstition. 

TOMB OF AKBAR. 

The tomb of Akbar, one of the Mogul em- 
perors, stands near Secundra, in the midst of a 
quadrangular court a quarter of a mile square; 
a heavy wall surrounds the square, making the 
inclosure a fortress. The mausoleum in which lie 



250 AROUND THE WORLD. 

the remains of the great emperor is three hundred 
feet square, and vies in magnificence, though not in 
beauty, with the Taj, rising to the height of one hun- 
dred feet in five terraces, with the cloisters, galleries, 
domes, and cupolas elaborately wrought. Akbar 
was the most powerful sovereign of his day, and a 
man of independent if not enlightened views. 

India is a perfectly level country. I could 
scarcely tell how the water ran. I could see ten 
miles from the railroad each way in passing along. 

THE MUTINY. 

But in no respect was I more struck with the 
diversity of sentiment among intelligent and well- 
informed people than in regard to the cause of the 
terrible mutiny of 1857, which came so near ex- 
tinguishing the power of the English in the East. 
I doubt if any rebellion of equal extent and im- 
portance ever before occurred which could not be 
traced more directly and more clearly to its origin. 
At Allahabad the native regiment stationed at the 
town suddenly revolted, shot down the superior 
officers and bayoneted the younger, attacked the 
residents, — men, women, and children, — cutting 
them to pieces while alive. Children were tossed 
on the bayonets of the native soldiers before their 
mothers, and atrocities committed which the pen 
cannot record. 

The remnant of the English who escaped took 
refuge in the fort, which was besieged by the se- 



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251 



poys. Having no fortress, they quickly intrenched 
themselves by throwing up earthworks on the open 
plain. The space they occupied was about two 
hundred yards square, and included a few small 
buildings. There were nine hundred persons in 
all within the narrow space. A murderous fire 
was opened upon them by the sepoys, which, with 
the famine, the burning sun of June, the close 
confinement, and other causes, told fearfully upon 
their numbers from day to day. Many died, and 
some went raving mad. At length the enemy be- 
gan to pour upon them red-hot shot, which fired 
the buildings; the sick persons perished in the 
flames. While in this extremity they received an 
offer from the rebel leader, Nana Sahib, that if 
they would abandon the intrenchment and the 
treasures which they had been guarding, the sur- 
vivors should be furnished with boats and an escort 
to take them down the Ganges to Allahabad. It 
was not until Nana Sahib had signed the contract, 
and confirmed his promise with a solemn oath, 
that the offer was accepted. Conveyance was pro- 
vided for the wounded, the sick, and the feeble to 
the river, about a mile distant. 

They were in the act of embarking, when, by 
order of Nana Sahib, a battery opened upon them, 
and numbers were slain. A few boat-loads hastily 
rowed across the river, but they were seized by 
the sepoys, the men all sabred, and the women and 



252 AROUND THE WORLD. 

children carried back to the camp of the monster 
who had thus violated his oath. For weeks they 
were incarcerated in a building at Cawnpoor, where 
they were subjected to the brutality of the sepoy 
troops. At sunset on the 15th of July volleys of 
musketry were fired into the doors and windows 
of the building, after which the bayonet and sword 
did their work, until all were supposed to be dead, 
and the building was closed for the night. 

The next morning it was found that a number 
were still alive, who, upon being brought out, either 
threw themselves or were thrown into a large well 
in company with the dead of the night before. 

Thus perished all who had survived the slaughter 
of the Ghaut, nearly two hundred in all. The 
whole number of victims at Cawnpoor was about 
one thousand. 

The army under Havelock entered Cawnpoor, 
the day after the massacre, driving out the rebels 
before them. And when they reached the building 
which was the scene of the massacre, and found it 
strewn with the relics of the departed ones, — 
remnants of clothing, ladies' and children's shoes, 
locks of hair, and other mementos, and the floor 
covered deep with their blood, — the brave soldiers 
were almost maddened by the sight. 

CAWNPOOR. 

On the plain at Cawnpoor is one of the most 
beautiful parks in the East, — laid out with ex- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



253 



quisite taste, and planted with trees and shrubbery 
and ever-blooming flowers. In the midst of this 
park are the marble walls of a sacred inclosure, 
in the centre of which, over the fatal well, stands 
a marble statue, — an angel, having in his arms 
the palm-leaves, emblematical of martyrdom and 
victory. 

This park was laid out and planted after the 
mutiny, and called the Memorial Garden ; but it 
seemed designed as much to mitigate by its beauty 
as to preserve by its monuments the memories 
of the spot. The pedestal on which stands the 
angel bears the following inscription : " Sacred to 
the memory of a great number of Christian peo- 
ple, chiefly women and children, who, near this 
spot, were cruelly massacred by the followers of 
the rebel Nana Dhoonduphunt, of Bithoor, and 
cast, the dying with the dead, into the well below, 
on the 15th of July, 1857." 

While General Wheeler and his command, with 
his precious charge, were still in their frail in- 
trenchment, the mutiny broke out at Futtehgunge, 
higher up the Ganges. This has long been one 
of the chief stations of the American Protestant 
Missions in India. All the mission-buildings, in- 
cluding a valuable printing-office, were destroyed. 
The foreign residents were put to the sword, the 
English officers and civilians being the first to 
suffer. The survivors, including four American 
22* 



254 AROUND THE WORLD. 

missionary families, attempted to escape in boats, 
hoping to reach Allahabad. The Americans were 
Rev. Messrs. Freeman, Johnson, Campbell, and 
McMullen, with their wives and two children of 
Mr. Campbell. 

The large party, one. hundred and thirty in all, 
floated down the Ganges, all the while in terror of 
the natives ; twice they were fired upon, and a 
lady, nurse, and child were killed. Once they 
landed at evening to cook some food on shore ; 
they were surprised by Ziminder, who made them 
his prisoners, but they were released on the pay- 
ment of a large ransom. 

On the fourth day the boats ran aground near 
an island, a few miles above Cawnpoor. The 
whole party went ashore, and concealed them- 
selves in the long grass, where they remained in 
constant apprehension of discovery, and with little 
hope of escape. In this hiding-place they as- 
sembled for prayer and preparation for death, the 
missionaries leading them to the throne of God's 
mercy to seek grace for the hour of greater trial 
that awaited them, and exhorting every one to 
steadfastly trust in Him, who would bring salvation 
even in death. 

The record of these solemn scenes was derived 
from four native Christians, who were the only 
survivors. Near the close of the fourth day they 
were discovered by a body of sepoys, who came 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



255 



upon the island, made them prisoners, and, deaf to 
all appeals for mercy and offers of ransom, took 
them across the river on the way to Cawnpoor. 
Though exhausted by long fasting and anxiety, 
they were tied together with ropes, and men, 
women, and children compelled to take up the 
line of march on foot. Night overtaking them, it 
was spent on the plain in the open air, the sepoys 
keeping guard over them to prevent their escape. 

Early next morning they were taken into Cawn- 
poor to Nana Sahib, who ordered them to be drawn 
up in line on the parade ground, where they were 
indiscriminately shot down ; those who survived 
the volley of musketry were dispatched with the 
sabre. When they were first seized by sepoys, the 
missionaries dismissed the four native Christians, 
advising them to seek their own safety, but under 
no circumstances to deny their Lord and Master. 
One of them, a man who had been a servant to the 
Maharajah Dhuleepsingh, disguised himself, fol- 
lowed the captive party, and was a witness to the 
last fearful scene in which their lives were offered 
up. From him the knowledge of their fate was 
obtained. 

DELHI. 

The vicinity of Delhi is a field in which the an- 
tiquarian may revel in endless delight. Within a 
circle of twenty miles one dynasty after another 
has established its capital and ruled in splendor, 



256 AROUND THE WORLD. 

and then passed away, leaving the field to the con- 
queror, who, instead of occupying the same site, has 
founded a new city and left the old one to crumble 
into ruins. In this way numerous cities have been 
scattered over the plain, the monuments of some 
remaining to this day, while the very history of 
others has been lost. One monument, the loftiest 
single column in the world, stands about ten miles 
from Delhi, of the magnificent ruins of which there 
is no satisfactory account in the records of India. 
Old Delhi, as it is called, the last forsaken site, is 
in greater perfection ; the walls remain, and much 
of the city is yet standing, but its halls are de- 
serted, and vagabonds and beasts of prey share its 
hospitality alike. 

But if the region is a field for the antiquarian, 
the present city, for a long time the capital of the 
Mogul Empire, is the home of fancy and the field 
of romance. Delhi was founded by the Sha Jehan 
about two centuries and a half ago. One princi- 
pal street, the Chandnee Chowk, one hundred and 
twenty feet wide, divides the town, and is daily the 
scene of more strictly Asiatic display than any 
other street in India. It is alike the Boulevard and 
the Broadway of Delhi. On either side are the 
shops and warehouses of the wealthy merchants; 
the centre is a broad terrace or promenade, shaded 
with acacias and other ornamental trees. During 
the day the Chandnee Chowk is a busy mart of 



AROUND THE WORLD. 2 $7 

trade ; but towards evening the loaded trains of 
camels and other beasts of burden disappear, the 
hum of business dies away, and a scene of oriental 
leisure and display ensues. The promenade is 
thronged with persons in all the varied costumes 
of the interior of Asia, while richly-caparisoned 
Arabian horses, elephants with gayly-dressed 
riders, and not a few English carriages belonging 
to the natives, pass up and down the street. 

Other parts of the city are equally curious in 
their way. The grain markets are among the 
sights; camels and buffaloes, with their heavy 
freights, come and go like ships entering and leav- 
ing port, and a noisy multitude, scarcely less be- 
wildering and far more entertaining than the 
crowd of a Western exchange, almost fascinates 
the stranger. 

We were taken to see an immense well, eighty- 
five feet in depth and about fifty feet in diameter. 
A half dozen nearly-naked natives stood around 
the edge waiting for the nod that seals the con- 
tract to pay them for the exploit. We nodded, 
and at once they sprang with outstretched arms 
and legs, and kept in this position until within 
about twenty feet of the bottom, when they sud- 
denly straightened themselves, plunging feet fore- 
most into the water, and soon reappeared swimming 
on its surface. They speedily reached the top by 
an underground passage and demanded their pay, 



258 AROUND THE WORLD. 

and would not have been satisfied if we had given 
them ten times the usual amount; but it is their 
only means of support, and they, as well as their 
fathers before them for many generations, and per- 
haps for centuries, have followed plunging into the 
same well from their childhood. 

MASSACRE AT DELHI. 

The revolt commenced at Meerut, forty-nine 
miles distant, and after the massacre of the Eu- 
ropeans, men, women, and children, at that place, 
the sepoys set out in a body for Delhi, where the 
native troops joined them, and commenced the 
slaughter of their officers. The magazine, which 
contained an enormous supply of guns, powder, 
and other warlike stores, was in charge of Lieu- 
tenant Willoughby. Seeing the state of affairs, he 
closed and barricaded the gates, and then, laying a 
train of powder, prepared to blow up the arsenal 
should resistance prove unavailing. Nine Europe- 
ans kept thousands of sepoys at bay until at length 
they were exhausted and likely to be overpowered, 
when the match was applied, and more than a 
thousand mutineers were blown into the air. All 
the Europeans in the city who had not made their 
escape were massacred on the appearance of the 
sepoys. The English families were tied in rows 
and shot and sabred without mercy; the assas- 
sinations were accompanied by horrid atrocities. 
Others who escaped, tender women and helpless 



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259 



children, wandered for days under the burning 
sun, lying down at nights in the jungle. Delhi 
fell completely into the hands of the mutineers ; 
but its recapture was one of the most heroic 
achievements of the recovery of British power in 
India. 

SNAKES. 

The most deadly and dreaded of the snakes is 
the hooded cobra, which sometimes attains the 
length of ten feet. There are also innumerable 
venomous snakes no larger than a riding-whip. 
It is stated on good authority that in the year 
1869 there were eleven thousand four hundred 
and sixteen deaths from the bites of snakes in the 
single province of Bengal. From actual statistics 
it has been estimated that in all India there are 
twenty thousand to forty thousand deaths from the 
same cause every year. They live and multiply 
not only in the open country, but in the villages 
and cities. They come into the grounds and houses 
of all classes ; they make their homes in the thatch 
and drop down from the rafters ; they creep into 
the beds ; they get among the kitchen utensils, 
and even ensconce themselves in the parlors. I 
heard many thrilling narratives of adventures with 
these unwelcome visitors; the smaller vermin are 
still more ubiquitous and a still greater annoyance. 
Scorpions and centipedes are abundant, and every- 
where the white ants move in armies and are ter- 



260 AROUND THE WORLD. 

ribly destructive. Scarcely anything in the shape 
of furniture or clothing escapes their ravages, and 
their tastes are decidedly literary. They will "go 
through" an entire library in an incredibly short 
space of time, leaving nothing to be perused by 
those who come after them. If a book is care- 
lessly left within their reach, the form of it may be 
found, but the entire contents will have been de- 
stroyed. 

BOMBAY. 

My observations have convinced me that this is 
destined to be the great city of India, if not of the 
whole Eastern world. In its general aspect, Bombay 
is the most lively city of the Indies. Its popula- 
tion, of nearly a million of people, is very multi- 
farious. Nearly all the tribes of Hindostan are 
represented. Hindoos, Mussulmen, Parsees, Indo- 
Britons, Indo-Portuguese, Europeans of various 
nations, Americans, and natives of Western Asia. 
The costumes of the people are varied, and gay 
beyond description. The streets are thronged by a 
very busy multitude, on foot, on horseback, and in 
carriages, many of the latter gaudily trimmed and 
drawn by bullocks. Their dress is peculiar, partly 
European and partly oriental. They have a sort 
of caste, and are forbidden to marry excepting 
among their own people ; nor do they usually eat 
what has been cooked by one of another religion. 
A well-educated Parsee and his wife were among 



AROUND THE WORLD. 2 6l 

our companions when crossing the Pacific Ocean. 
They mingled freely with the other passengers, 
and ate at the same table with them. On returning 
to Bombay he was called to account for violating 
the rules of his race, and his situation became so 
uncomfortable in consequence that he moved to 
London to take charge of a branch of the house 
with which he is connected. 

The Parsees have a large cemetery on Malabar 
Hill, near Bombay; the highest ground in the 
vicinity is selected, so that no one can look into it. 
It contains a building devoted to the preservation 
of the sacred fire, besides buildings for the priests 
and for those who have charge of the dead. 

Five round stone towers, each about fifty feet in 
diameter and forty or fifty in height, are the recep- 
tacles for the dead. When a death occurs, the body 
is taken to the gate of the cemetery and delivered 
into the hands of the priests. No one is allowed to 
enter the walls with the dead. After a prescribed 
ceremony the body is taken to one of the towers 
and laid upon a grate upon the top of it. A num- 
ber of hideous vultures are always waiting to de- 
vour the flesh, and the bones fall into the body of 
the tower below in an indiscriminate heap. It is 
the most revolting mode of disposing of the re- 
mains of departed friends of which I have any 
knowledge, but the Parsees adhere to it with a 
tenacity which borders on fanaticism. 

23 



262 AROUND THE WORLD. 

The Hindoo mode of disposing of the dead is far 
less repulsive. Across the bay, on the Bombay side, 
a row of brilliant lights stretched along the shore in 
the deep stillness of the night, and in the strange- 
ness of the whole scene they had a mysterious look. 
On inquiry I learned that they were the funeral piles 
on which the Hindoos were burning their dead ; 
being a more becoming mode of treating the re- 
mains of the departed — returning ashes to ashes — 
than the horrid funeral rites of the Parsees. 

ADEN. 

When once off the coast, the voyage through the 
Indian Ocean as far as Aden, seventeen hundred 
and sixty miles, was without any striking incident. 
A strong northeast monsoon kept our ship steady, 
helped us on our course, and supplied us with 
plenty of fresh air, a great blessing in those eastern 
seas. On the morning of the sixth day the shores 
of Arabia were in sight, and towards evening we 
descried the heights of Aden, ninety miles to the 
east of the entrance to the Red Sea. It is a mass 
of rock, connected with the main land by a low 
sandy neck, and towering up to the height of 
seventeen hundred and seventy-six feet. It was held 
by the Portuguese when they were stretching their 
arms and their commerce into the East. It was 
captured by the Turks in 1538, and held for three 
centuries; but in 1839, for an outrage committed 
upon a vessel sailing under the English colors, the 



AROUND THE WORLD. 263 

British Government seized the place, strengthened 
its fortifications, and have kept a large garrison 
upon it ever since. It is called the " Gibraltar of 
the East," on account of its commanding position 
near the entrance of the Red Sea and its great 
natural strength as a fortress. 

Owing to some peculiarity in its situation it sel- 
dom rains at Aden, three or four years or even 
more sometimes passing without a drop falling 
from the clouds, even when it rains on the mainland 
near by. 

THE RED SEA. 

Passing through the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb 
(the gate of tears or the gate of desolation as it is 
variously interpreted), we entered the Red Sea, 
which in all ages has been a terror to navigators. 
This narrow strip of water covers a small space 
on the map, but it is more than twelve hundred 
miles in length, making a voyage of five or six 
days by steam, during which the shore is seldom 
seen on either side. Its navigation is difficult and 
perilous ; the water is of great depth, but rocks 
and islands are scattered through it, and coral 
reefs abound, which seldom lift their heads above 
the waves to warn the sailor of his danger. The 
shores are almost entirely destitute of lighthouses, 
and are occupied by inhospitable races of men 
where inhabited at all. High winds prevail dur- 
ing a great part of the year, making the naviga- 



264 AROUND THE WORLD. 

tion particularly undesirable for sailing vessels, 
which are now seldom seen. 

Two or three days before entering Suez we en- 
countered a fierce north wind, which never sub- 
sided until we were on shore. Every few minutes, 
on the last day or two of the voyage, a heavy sea 
would break over the bow of the ship, washing 
the deck from stem to cabin, while the cold blasts 
from the north drove us all under shelter, and 
many to their berths. How we came safely through 
we never knew, excepting that we had the guid- 
ance and protecting care of the great Pilot who 
holds the winds and the waters in the hollow of 
his hand. 

It was not until the evening of the sixth day 
after our entering the straits, and the twelfth after 
our leaving Bombay, that we dropped anchor at 
Suez, — it may have been upon one of the chariot- 
wheels of Pharaoh. The sun had set before we 
reached the anchorage, which is five miles from 
the head of the gulf and from town. It was the 
same land over which, more than thirty-six centu- 
ries before, Moses led the children of Israel. The 
same sands were still there, though the footprints 
of the departing host had been obliterated; the 
same sea rolled before us; the same mountains 
frowned from the southwest ; the general aspect 
of the scene was unchanged. 

There is no doubt in regard to the route by 



AROUND THE WORLD. 265 

which they came from Succoth to the sea. The 
path is clearly defined by the features of the coun- 
try. A precipitous mountain range stretches diag- 
onally to the northwest, leaving a sandy plain be- 
tween it and the sea, from which they could not 
diverge. All this was so clear that, as I looked 
over the vast plain, I could almost imagine I saw 
the great host on their march, the pillar of cloud 
leading them on by day, and the great curtain 
hung up by the hand of God to protect them from 
their pursuers by night. 

But where was the point at which they heard 
the command of God to "go forward," and were 
so marvelously delivered from their enemies ? 
Everything in the Divine record shows that they 
were forced to enter the bed of the sea at the spot 
on which they stood when the Lord said unto 
Moses, " Wherefore criest thou unto Me? Speak 
unto the children of Israel that they may go for- 
ward ; but lift thou up the rod, and stretch out 
thine hand over the sea and divide it, and the 
children of Israel shall go on dry ground in the 
midst of the sea." 

From an examination of these localities it ap- 
peared to me much more probable that they fol- 
lowed the sandy plain to the south, where the sea 
and the precipitous mountain range converge, and 
where it was impossible for them to move except- 
ing in one direction. Pharaoh and his hosts were 



266 AROUND THE WORLD. 

in their rear. They had fled until they could flee 
no farther, — a mountain wall was upon one side 
and the deep sea upon the other. God divided 
the waters before them, and they passed through 
the midst of the sea. 

At the point to which I refer, the Red Sea must 
be five or six miles in width and of great depth; 
but the whole account indicates that the crossing 
took place where the sea was wide : the Egypt- 
ians, pursuing the Israelites, went in after them to 
the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his 
chariots, and his horsemen. It was in the midst 
of the sea that they proposed to turn back when 
they found the Lord was fighting for the Israelites 
against the Egyptians. They turned and fled, but 
when the sea came back to its bed, of the vast 
army that had gone into it there remained not so 
much as one of them. The simple narrative, the 
song of Moses, which he sang with the children 
of Israel to celebrate their deliverance, the allusions 
to it in other parts of the Holy Scriptures, show 
that it was a sublime miracle not accomplished 
by a concurrence of ordinary means, and therefore 
that there was no occasion for selecting a place 
where it could be easily performed, but rather the 
contrary. 

The drying up of the waters was not effected 
alone by the strong east wind, for the children of 
Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry 



AROUND THE WORLD. 267 

ground, and the waters were a wall unto them on 
their right hand and on their left. In the song of 
Moses it is said, "The floods stood upright as an 
heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart 
of the sea." This is not all poetic imagery. 

SUEZ. 

Suez is not an insignificant town. It has a pop- 
ulation of several thousand, its bazaars are well 
supplied with goods for oriental consumption, and 
there is more of an air of activity and business 
about it than one might expect in such a desert 
region. When the overland route to India was 
opened a few years since, Suez had a revival of the 
traffic it enjoyed before the discovery of the route 
to the Indies by the Cape of Good Hope, but the 
more recent opening of the Suez Canal may be 
another blow to its prosperity, by making all trans- 
shipment of passengers and goods needless. 

We were going down to the valley of the Nile 
by the same route which Abraham took when he 
went into Egypt to escape famine, by which the 
sons of Jacob went down to buy corn, and by which 
the grand funeral procession returned bearing the 
body of the patriarch to its resting place in the 
cave of Machpelah, where I have no doubt it still 
slumbers undisturbed. 

CAIRO. 

Here we caught sight of Cairo. Its golden light 
streamed over the domes and minarets, pouring 



268 AROUND THE WORLD. 

itself in a flood upon the green fields and among 
the palms, and drawing a beautiful contrast between 
the buildings and the dark foliage in which they 
were set. The citadel with its grand mosque tow- 
ered above the rest of the city, having for its back- 
ground the gray mountains and the mausoleum of 
long-buried generations. The broad valley of the 
Nile, dressed in living green, was spread out before 
us. 

They have strange chambermaids at Shepheard's 
Hotel, in Cairo. The one who waited on our 
room, and attended to all the various duties of the 
calling, even to the making of beds, was a courtly 
Frenchman, dressed as if for a dinner-party, and 
having the air of a refined and educated gentleman. 
It was really embarrassing to accept his services. 
One of the ladies on arriving at the hotel rang for 
the chambermaid. The gentleman presented him- 
self. Supposing him to be the proprietor or chief 
clerk, she informed him that she had rung for the 
chambermaid. He very politely replied, in the best 
English he could command, " Madame, I am she." 

My second expedition to Cairo, after recovering 
from the fatigue of our long voyage and subsequent 
journeyings by land, was to the Citadel itself, or 
the Grand Mosque, noted for the panoramic view 
of the city and of the valley of the Nile which it 
commands. This view alone would repay a traveler 
for coming to this far-off country, even if he should 



AROUND THE WORLD. 2 6g 

see nothing else. As you stand upon the parapet, 
the whole of Cairo, ancient and modern, lies at 
your feet. On the right are the tombs of caliphs 
and Mamelukes, on the left is what remains of old 
Cairo, called old by courtesy among the monu- 
ments of thirty or forty centuries. Beyond the 
city flows the Nile, encircling several beautiful 
islands. Farther on across the emerald valley sit 
the Pyramids and the Sphinx in silent majesty. A 
few miles up the Nile is the site of ancient Mem- 
phis, now nearly obliterated ; below, where Joseph 
and Mary, resting themselves, sat under the syca- 
more tree. The hills on either side of the broad 
valley rising up as walls, seeming to say to the 
overflowing stream, " Thus far shalt thou come and 
no farther," are inhabited by a silent multitude 
— unnumbered millions — unknown and undecayed, 
who await the coming of the resurrection morn 
just as they were laid in their tombs thousands of 
years ago. In the midst of this scene the old Nile 
flows and overflows as it has from the time of the 
Pharaohs and from the time of the flood, if not 
from all time. 

But we had expected to go up the Nile. Ar- 
rangements were therefore made for a trip of about 
seven hundred miles ; but as we had traveled much 
farther than we expected to, passing through many 
cities of which I give no account, we gave up the 
project. 



270 AROUND THE WORLD. 

I gave you an account of Cairo, Egypt, two 
years ago, and don't want to speak more about it. 
We expect to go from Cairo to Alexandria, where 
we landed two years ago, and where they put us 
in prison for six days with nothing of any account 
to eat. I do most mortally hate Alexandria. But 
we will not stay here long, as we sail from Alex- 
andria for Brindisi, Italy. 

ALEXANDRIA. 

Alexandria, the seaport and commercial capital 
of Egypt, contains about two hundred and fifty 
thousand inhabitants. The buildings come into 
view one by one. The tall column that first attracts 
the stranger's view is known as Pompey's Pillar. 
The city was founded by Alexander the Great 
three hundred and thirty-two years before Christ. 
Alexandria has two parts : that on the west, which 
is the best, is called the Old Harbor, that on the 
east the New. The population is very mixed, con- 
sisting, besides the native Turks and Arabs, of 
Americans, Greeks, Syrians, Maltese, Jews, and 
Europeans of almost every nation, in such numbers 
that it may be questioned whether the strangers 
you notice in the streets would not be more than 
a match for the natives. 

pompey's pillar. 

The name given to this column is without his- 
torical foundation. The Greek inscription found 
upon it proves it to have been erected by Publius, 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



271 



Prefect of Egypt, in honor of Diocletian, who be- 
sieged Alexandria two hundred and ninety-seven 
years after Christ. After eight months' defense 
the city was obliged to capitulate, when thousands 
were massacred by fire and sword. The height of 
the pillar, including the shaft, capital, and pedestal, 
is one hundred feet. It is of polished red granite, 
elegant, and in good style. But the capital and 
pedestal are inferior and unfinished. 
cleopatra's needles. 
These two obelisks may be seen in the eastern 
part of the city, near the shore ; the one standing, 
the other lying down and nearly covered with earth. 
They are of red granite, and formerly stood before 
the Temple of Neptune at Heliopolis. One of 
them is sixty-five feet high, the other seventy. 
Their diameter at the base is eight feet. They 
were quarried in the reign of Thoth III., fourteen 
hundred and ninety-six years before Christ, and are 
consequently now thirty-three hundred and sixty- 
three years old. Mehemet AH gave the fallen one 
to the British Government, but they concluded it 
was hardly worth the money it would cost to re- 
move it. There is one at Rome, and one on the 
Place de la Concorde, Paris, very similar, and of 
the same stone. 

BRINDISI. 

We reached Brindisi after a very boisterous voy- 
age. The ship was tossed upon the uneasy sea as 



272 AROUND THE WORLD. 

a thing of no account. We tried to prepare our- 
selves as well as we could to withstand the blast, 
but we could not long keep the upper deck, and 
were forced to go to the cabin and take our berths, 
and even there we were not safe. At short inter- 
vals all day and night one crash after another was 
heard, as a stand broke loose or the steward's 
dishes went into a heap. Though in a mighty- 
ship, we felt how weak are the proudest works of 
man in contending with the breath of the Almighty. 
We committed ourselves to his care. The waves 
tossed us up and down, and many of the passen- 
gers and sailors were sea-sick. Some of the pas- 
sengers thought we would never reach Brindisi, 
but that the ship would go down in the sea, as the 
waves went over the ship time and again ; but it 
stood the hurricane, and we landed in Brindisi 
safely. The ship was in the storm two days and 
two nights, and then the sea became calm. 

The ancient Brentesion, signifying stag's head, 
so called from the closing tendency of arms of the 
harbor, has the principal hotel, De l'Orient, near 
the harbor. It is generally supposed that Brindisi 
was founded by Diomedes. It was in ancient 
times a place of considerable importance, being in 
the time of the Romans the point of embarkation 
from Italy to Greece. It then boasted of sixty 
thousand inhabitants. Polonius was born and 
Virgil died here. At Brindisi, Tancred's son, 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



273 



Roger, was united in marriage to Irene, the 
daughter of the Grecian Emperor. About this 
time the fleets of the Crusaders frequently made 
Brentesion their stopping place. In 1348 the 
city was plundered and the inhabitants put to the 
sword by King Louis of Hungary. In 1416 a 
frightful earthquake destroyed nearly the whole 
city, and a great population. In 1845 it became a 
free port. Since its connection by rail with the 
east of Europe it has rapidly become a town of 
importance, being now the point of embarkation 
of travelers going to different ports on the Medi- 
terranean. 

Brindisi is, or was, the termination of the cel- 
ebrated Via Appia, so often mentioned by different 
Latin poets and historians. Horace speaks of his 
journey to Brindisi by this road. The principal 
object of interest in the town is the castle built by 
Frederick II. and finished by Charles XII. 

The environs of Brindisi are very unhealthy, 
owing to the marshes surrounding the town. 

NAPLES. 

We arrived at Naples at eleven o'clock p.m. on 
the 19th of March, 1875. I know of no other 
portion of Italy, unless it be the plain of Sardinia, 
that bears the marks of such fertility, or of such 
careful cultivation, as the region north of Naples. 
It is a vast garden. The soil is rich and easily 
tilled, and every road is improved. The trees are 

24 



274 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



trimmed far up, destroying their beauty to a great 
degree, but letting in the sun and air upon the 
fields, while the vines are festooned from tree to 
tree above the growing crops, giving the country 
a holiday aspect. 

The peasantry of Italy belong to a different race 
from the dwellers in the towns : they are more in- 
dustrious in their habits; and large sections of the 
country, devoted to corn and the vine, attest their 
thrift. 

In entering Naples one is struck with the vaga- 
bond, and at the same time lively, character of 
the mass of the people : they swarm there like 
bees just ready to desert a hive that has become 
too close to contain them. They live in the open 
air, not only seeking their amusements and at- 
tending to their ordinary business out of doors, 
but cooking in the very thoroughfares of the city. 
All seem bent on catching the pleasures of the 
day, as if there was no to-morrow. 

Formerly the beggars constituted one of the 
most striking features of Neapolitan street-life : 
they were your escort on entering the city, com- 
ing out in crowds, sometimes for miles, to meet the 
public conveyance : they were unremitting in their 
attentions as long as you stayed, never failing to 
take off their hats whenever you made your ap- 
pearance in the streets ; and when you were leav- 
ing they followed you out of town, wishing you 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



275 



every blessing by all the saints if you answered 
their demands, and cursing you by the whole cal- 
ender if you did not. Many of them had a merry 
way of begging : throwing somersaults, playing a 
tune upon their chins, or cutting antics to attract 
attention, like the merriest creatures alive ; when 
they would tell you as the next thing that they 
were dying of hunger, and ask you for a little 
money for the love of the Madonna. The whole 
kingdom of Naples, and, for aught I know, adjacent 
kingdoms, had been raked and scraped to gather 
in the halt, the maimed, the lame, and the blind, 
and all the miserable and disgusting objects that 
could be found, as so much capital on which to 
drive the thriving trade of beggary, one of the 
principal branches of business in Naples, and not 
the least profitable either. But that is now changed, 
and one can go in and out of Naples and stay 
there with comparatively little annoyance from 
this source. 

The Bay of Naples I regard as beyond com- 
parison the finest single view in the world ; it has 
a combination of beautiful features and of interest- 
ing associations that cluster around no other spot; 
the bay itself has a graceful sweep of thirty or 
forty miles within the islands placed at its mouth 
as sentinels to ward off the towering waves that 
come rolling in from the sea ; its waters are almost 
as blue as the vault of the sky above it. At the 



276 AROUND THE WORLD. 

centre of its broad sweep stands the genius of the 
scene, the beautiful, majestic, living mountain that 
has no equal; graceful in its outlines and standing 
alone in its grandeur like Fusiyama, the glory 
and pride of Japan. No other mountain has for 
my eye such a power of fascination ; I have never 
looked about it, from whatever point or how often 
soever, that it has not had the same strange fresh 
interest as if I had never seen it before. It seems 
to be a living thing ; there it stands year after year 
gently breathing out its vapor like breath, that 
floats away and is soon dissipated upon the frosty 
air. When in a state of eruption the signs of life 
are far more striking. 

VESUVIUS. 

The top of Vesuvius is the best point from 
which to take in the beauties of the bay and its 
surroundings. To the west lie the islands that 
form an important element in the perfection of 
the view. To the south are Sorrento and other 
sunny towns, with the blue mountains towering 
up behind them. The bright, gay city of Naples 
stretches for miles along the shore to the north. 
In the distance stands the tomb of Virgil, and 
farther on the town of Pozzuoli, the ancient Pu- 
teoli, the terminus of the Appian Way, at which 
Paul landed on his memorable journey to Rome 
when he appealed to Caesar's judgment. Farther 
on are Baiae and Conrae, the summer resorts of 



AROUND THE WORLD. 277 

the Roman Emperors and of men of wealth, — the 
Newport of those days when they erected splendid 
palaces and reveled in luxury and display. The 
ruins of their magnificent summer palaces, which 
were built out into the sea and overhung the 
heights, stretch for miles along the shores. From 
these same shores and surroundings Virgil took 
the scenery of his ALneid. Here are Lake Aver- 
nus and the river Styx and the Elysian Fields ; 
here too are the Sibyls' Caves. No part of Italy, 
not even Rome itself with its suburbs, was more 
consecrated by the homes and writings of her 
emperors, orators, and bards. 

HERCULANEUM. 

At the foot of Vesuvius lie the long-buried 
citizens of Herculaneum and Pompeii, revealed 
to-day after slumbering forgotten for eighteen cen- 
turies. A world of interest gathers around them 
as we look down into the silent, deserted streets 
that were so long filled with a bustling; crowd, and 
then in one dark storm were overwhelmed. 

In what part of the world can so much that 
is beautiful in scenery, so much that is fraught 
with classic interest, and so much that stirs the 
heart with tragic recollections be seen at a single 
glance, as from the heights of this burning moun- 
tain ? and this is an indication of the manner in 
which the traveler may occupy his time and his 
attention in his sojourn at the sunny city of Naples. 

24* 



278 AROUND THE WORLD. 

It requires many days to make the various ex- 
cursions, but I shall not attempt the task of con- 
ducting the reader through all of them. 

Vesuvius was a burning mountain two thousand 
years before the Christian era. Its fires were ex- 
tinguished and slumbered for a while; but just 
about the time that Paul landed at Puteoli it was 
again seized with convulsions, the whole region 
was violently shaken, and several towns were laid 
in ruins. 

POMPEII. 

The memorable eruption in which Herculaneum 
and Pompeii were overwhelmed, — the former by 
lava, and the latter by the shower of ashes, — oc- 
curred in the year 79 a.d. The younger Pliny, 
who witnessed it, states that about one o'clock in 
the day he saw a strange cloud overhanging the 
plain of Naples like a huge pine-tree, shooting up 
to a great height and stretching out its branches; 
this singular cloud, which seemed to be composed 
of earth and cinders, excited his curiosity, and he 
embarked in a boat to cross the bay and examine 
into it : as he approached the coast the red-hot 
cinders and stones fell into the boat, and he was 
obliged to retreat. He proceeded to Stabise to 
spend the night with a friend, but before morning 
they were driven to the fields by the shaking of 
the house. The morning came, but it brought no 
relief; one shock of earthquake succeeded another, 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



279 



as if the foundations of the world were giving way; 
the sea receded from the shore, the mountain 
poured forth a mass of flame and burning rock, 
and the cloud of cinders spread over the bay and 
the land : they attempted again to escape to a safer 
distance, and joined the crowd that was surging 
onward. Pliny's father having already perished, 
he led his mother by the hand, and, fearing she 
would be pressed to death, proposed to step aside 
and suffer the crowd to pass by. He says he had 
scarce stepped out of the path when darkness 
overspread them, — not like that of a cloudy night, 
or when there is no moon, but of a room when it 
is shut up and all the lights are extinguished. 
Nothing was to be heard, but the screams of chil- 
dren for their parents, and of women for their hus- 
bands, who were only to be distinguished by their 
voices : one lamenting his own fate, another that 
of his family ; some wishing to die from the fear 
of dying, some lifting their hands to the gods ; 
but the greater part imagining that the last and 
eternal night was come which was to destroy the 
gods and the world together. This was the most 
fearful eruption on record ; many of less account 
have since occurred, the most remarkable in 1779, 
in which, according to Sir William Hamilton, the 
molten lava was thrown in jets to the height of 
ten thousand feet. More than once have the sides 
of the mountain broken in while the melted lava 



280 AROUND THE WORLD. 

poured out of its sides and ran in streams toward 
the plain below. 

In 185 1, I made the ascent of the mountain, 
reaching the top of the cone, and looking down 
into the abyss. It was then comparatively quiet, 
but the presage of a coming explosion was notice- 
able. 

I was on Vesuvius three times since 185 1, but 
no eruption occurred while I was there. 

Herculaneum was buried too deep in solid lava 
ever to be excavated to any great extent ; but the 
larger part of Pompeii has been reclaimed, and one 
may now walk for miles through its streets and 
among its buildings. He need not lose his way, 
many of the streets having the names upon the 
corners, as in modern cities. 

The ancient pavement, rutted deep by the car- 
riage-wheels, remains intact; not equal, it is true, 
to the Belgian, but as firm as when it was laid 
eighteen centuries ago. Entering the homes of 
the Pompeians as they were discovered, we find in 
them bracelets and jewels, some of exquisite work- 
manship, gold and precious stones. Here are 
writing materials, ink-stands and pens, lamps as 
they went out when Pompeii was extinguished, 
thimbles, distaffs, and spinning-wheels ; in short, 
the whole catalogue of a woman's domestic life, 
together with all the paraphernalia of the toilet, 
even the rouge and false hair. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 28 1 

The cellars were stored with wine, and although 
the old Falernian has long since evaporated, the 
amphorae or earthen jars which contained the wine 
stand in rows along the walls. In the house of 
Diomede, one of the most extensive and elabo- 
rately-ornamented villas, situated near one of the 
gates of the city, were large numbers of wine-jars 
of great size. This house, being remote from the 
centre of the town, was evidently resorted to by 
the friends of the owner as a place of comparative 
safety, but more persons probably lost their lives 
in it than in any other. The skeletons or forms of 
seventeen persons were found in the cellars. On 
the women were found gold necklaces and brace- 
lets and other ornaments. Two little children, 
whose heads were still covered with beautiful hair, 
were found. 

In one of the houses of Pompeii two of the 
bodies are kept in a glass case, the attitudes and 
posture of the limbs expressing the mortal agony 
which came upon them. Diomede himself was 
found near the garden-gate with a purse of gold 
and other valuables in his hand, while an attendant 
stood by his side grasping the key to the gate. 
Some of the houses have the names of the owners 
inscribed on the outer wall, especially those of a 
more imposing character. Among the familiar 
names is that of C. Sallust. The house of Pansa 
thus marked, one of the largest in the city, con- 



282 AROUND THE WORLD. 

tained five skeletons when it was opened. The 
shops with their contents are as great a curiosity 
as their homes. Some of them are extensive, and 
were the property of wealthy citizens, who derived 
their incomes from them. There are several 
bakeries or cook-shops in perfect preservation, 
from which large quantities of viands have been 
taken ; in some the bread was found standing in 
the ovens. The notices around the doors and in 
the interior show that the art of advertising is not 
a modern invention. In one of the villas was 
found the following poster: 

"Julius has to let for five years a Bath, a Ve- 
nexium, Ninety Shops, with Terraces and upper 
Chambers." 

They are still without tenants, although they 
have been advertised one thousand eight hundred 
years. 

Nearly everything found in the shops and houses 
at Pompeii is preserved, in the National Museum 
at Naples, one of the most interesting collections 
of antiquities in the world. By its help we can 
readily furnish the luxurious but now deserted 
homes, see how their inmates lived, and learn 
more of their domestic history than from any 
other source. One can study and muse for days 
over this extraordinary collection, and find his in- 
terest growing deeper every hour that he lingers. 

Before leaving Naples we drove to the cities of 



AROUND THE WORLD. 283 

its own dead, as being among the characteristic 
features of the place. The Protestant cemetery is 
a neat churchyard in the outskirts of the town. 
The cypress here waves over the grave of many a 
stranger who has died far away from the friends 
and scenes of home. Flowers also bloom pro- 
fusely in this sweet resting-place of those who 
have no more seas to cross and no farther journey 
in life to make. 

CAMPO SANTO VECCHIO. 

After lingering to note by the various inscrip- 
tions from how many lands the sleepers had come, 
we drove to the Campo Santo Vecchio, the great 
charnel-house of Naples. It contains three hun- 
dred and sixty-five pits, under a wide paved square. 
Every evening the stone which covers one of these 
pits is removed, and the common dead of the city 
for the day are thrown into it without even a 
winding-sheet to cover them. The old man and 
the child, the rough lazzaroni and the tender 
maiden, are dropped in together, and lie in one in- 
discriminate mass. Quick-lime is thrown in to 
consume the bodies, and the pit is sealed for an- 
other year, to be opened at its close. We did not 
wait to witness the revolting scene, although the 
city carts were arriving with the dead, but drove 
to the Campo Santo Nuovo, the cemetery for the 
aristocratic dead, and here I was surprised to find 
a burial-ground laid out with refined taste, shaded 



284 AROUND THE WORLD. 

with cypress and other trees, and adorned with 
tombs of the most costly description. Many of 
them were in the form of chapels, built of fine 
Italian marble, elaborately finished. 

After what I heard of the burial of the dead, and 
what I had seen at the Campo Vecchio, it was a 
relief to enter one that indicated so much refine- 
ment of feeling. 

ROME. 

We arrived at Rome March 22, 1875, at eleven 
o'clock at night. The next day we had Mr. Wood 
to take six carriages and conduct forty-four of 
Cook & Sons' party through every part of Rome. 
In four days I have seen more of Rome than I ever 
saw before. First we visited St. Peter's. Before 
the era of railways the traveler, in approaching 
Rome across the Campagna, was generally electri- 
fied by the first glimpse of St. Peter's dome loom- 
ing in the distance, then had full time in advance 
of entering the gates of the city to ponder over all 
the recollections which the magical word Rome 
might suggest; at present he is rapidly borne into 
the city by moonlight, seeing everything, and 
sometimes before he is aware of even having ar- 
rived in its neighborhood ; yet the dome is plainly 
visible from afar by the railway approach of to- 
day. Now, as then, the first sight of Rome is 
always her unequaled cathedral, the first object 
which the traveler hastens to visit. The present 



AROUND THE WORLD. 285 

church of St. Peter's is relatively modern, having 
been first conceived by Pope Nicholas, about the 
year 1450. It is built upon the site of the religious 
edifice erected by Constantine, and consecrated by 
him as the Basilica of Saint Peter; the old Basilica 
stood on part of the Circus of Nero, and was sup- 
posed to occupy the spot consecrated by the blood 
of the martyrs slaughtered by order of the tyrant. 
Tradition supposes that it held possession of the 
body of the apostle after he was crucified, — a circum- 
stance which reflected high credit upon it. After en- 
joying the veneration and tributes of all Christen- 
dom during eleven centuries, the walls of the old 
Basilica began to give way, and its approaching ruin 
becoming visible, about the year above stated Nich- 
olas V. conceived the project of taking down the old 
church and erecting in its stead a new and more ex- 
pensive structure. The project was begun, and re- 
sulted, after a long series of experiments made by 
various architects, in the splendid edifice which is 
now regarded by the world as the chief glory of 
modern Rome. The work made slight progress 
until the epoch of Julius II., who resumed the great 
task, and found in Branante an architect capable of 
comprehending and executing his grandest con- 
ceptions. The walls of the ancient Basilica were 
then wholly removed, and on the 18th day of 
April, 1508, the foundation-stone of the vast pil- 
lars supporting the dome, as we now see it, was 

25 



286 AROUND THE WORLD. 

laid by Julius with great pomp and ceremony; 
from that period the work, though carried on with 
ardor and perseverance, continued during one hun- 
dred years to occupy the attention and absorb 
much of the incomes of eighteen pontiffs. The 
most celebrated architects of the times displayed 
their talents in its erection, viz., Bramante, Raphael, 
San Gillo, Michael Angelo, Vignola, Carlo Ma- 
derno, and last, though not least, Bernini, who 
gave it the final finishing touches of ornamenta- 
tion, and who built the inclosing colonnade. It is 
estimated that its cost, after completion, was no 
less than twelve million pounds sterling, — a sum 
representing far greater value then than it does in 
our age. The proportions are as follows : length, 
seven hundred feet; transept, five hundred feet; 
height, four hundred and forty feet; breadth of nave, 
ninety feet; height of nave, one hundred and fifty- 
four feet. Eustace says, " Entering the piazza, the 
visitor views four rows of lofty pillars sweeping off to 
the right and left in bold semicircles. In the centre 
of the area formed by this immense colonnade an 
Egyptian obelisk of one solid piece of granite as- 
cends to the height of one hundred and thirty feet; 
two perpetual fountains, one on each side, play in 
the air and fall in sheets round the basins of por- 
phyry that receive them. Raised on three suc- 
cessive flights of marble steps, extending four hun- 
dred feet in length, and towering to the elevation 



AROUND THE WORLD. 287 

of one hundred and eighty feet, you see the ma- 
jestic front of the Basilica itself; this mount is sup- 
ported by a single row of Corinthian pillars and 
pilasters, and adorned with an attic, a balustrade, 
and thirteen colossal statues ; far behind and above 
it rises the matchless dome ; two lesser cupolas, 
one on each side, add not a little to the majesty of 
the principal dome. Five lofty portals open into 
the vestibule, four hundred feet in length, seventy 
feet in height, and fifty in breadth, paved with va- 
riegated marble, covered with a gilt vault, adorned 
with pillars, pilasters, mosaic and bas-reliefs, and 
terminated at both ends by equestrian statues, one 
of Constantine, and the other of Charlemagne. 
Opposite the five portals of the vestibules are the 
five doors of the church ; three are adorned with 
pillars of the finest marble; that in the centre has 
panels of bronze. 

"Enter; its grandeur overwhelms thee not. 
The most extensive hall ever constructed by human 
art expands in magnificence before you. Advanc- 
ing up the nave you admire the beauty of the vari- 
egated marble under your feet and the splendor of 
the golden vault overhead, the lofty Corinthian 
pilasters with their bold entablature, the interme- 
diate niches with their statues, the arcades with 
the graceful figures that recline on the curves of 
their arches. When you reach the foot of the altar, 
and, standing in the centre of the church, contem- 



288 AROUND THE WORLD. 

plate the four superb vistas that open around you, 
and then raise your eyes to the dome at the pro- 
digious elevation of four hundred feet, extending 
like a firmament over your head and presenting in 
glowing mosaic the companies of the just and the 
choirs of celestial spirits, it is sublime; around the 
dome rise four other cupolas, small indeed when 
compared to its stupendous magnitude, but of 
great boldness when considered separately ; six 
more, three on either side, cover the different di- 
visions of the aisles, and six more of greater dimen- 
sions canopy as many chapels. All these inferior 
cupolas are, like the grand dome itself, lined with 
mosaics ; many, indeed, of the masterpieces of 
paintings which formerly graced this edifice have 
been removed and replaced by mosaics, which re- 
tain all the tints and beauties of the original im- 
pressed on a more solid and durable substance. 
The aisles and altars are adorned with numberless 
antique pillars, that border the churches all around 
and form a secondary order ; the variegated walls 
are in many places ornamented with festoons, 
wreaths, crosses, and medallions representing the 
effigies of different pontiffs. 

" Various monuments rise in different parts of 
the church, of exquisite sculpture, and form very 
conspicuous features in the ornamentation of this 
grand temple. Below the steps of the altar, and of 
course some distance from it, at the corners on four 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



289 



massive pedestals, four twisted pillars fifty feet in 
height rise and support an entablature which bears 
the canopy itself, topped with a cross. The canopy 
is one hundred and thirty feet from the pavement. 
This brazen edifice, for so it may be called, was 
constructed of bronze stripped from the dome of 
the Pantheon, and is so disposed as not to obstruct 
the view by concealing the chancel and veiling the 
chair of Saint Peter. This ornament is also of 
bronze, and consists of a group of four gigantic 
figures, representing the four principal doctors of 
the Greek and Latin churches, supporting the chair 
at an elevation of seventy feet. 

" Under the high altar of Saint Peter's is the 
tomb of that Apostle, the descent to which is in 
front, where a large open space leaves room for a 
double flight of steps. The rails that surround 
this space above are adorned with one hundred 
and twelve bronze cornucopiae, which support as 
many silver lamps, burning perpetually in honor 
of the Apostle. Upon the pavement of the small 
area inclosed by the balustrade is the kneeling 
statue of Pius VI., by Canova." 

The sacristy is connected with Saint Peter's by 
a long gallery, and is adorned with pillars, statues, 
paintings, and mosaics. Orders must be obtained 
here, of Monsignor the Odoli, for visiting the crypt 
and the dome, which is only open without an order 
on Thursdays, between eight and ten a.m. Orders 

25* 



290 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



for the mosaic manufactory to be obtained from 
the Rev. Fabricca. 

The crypt contains the tombs of the early popes, 
and also some old bas-reliefs and some very ancient 
statues of Saint Peter. Adrian IV., the only Eng- 
lish pope, is buried here, and also the several dis- 
tinguished historical characters, including the last 
of the Stuarts, to whom there is a monument 
erected in the church, by order of George IV., and 
executed by Canova ; immediately opposite is one 
to Maria Clementina Sobieski, through which is 
the entrance to the dome, by a winding path. 

On the platform of the roof the cupolas, domes, 
and pinnacles are seen to advantage, and hence by 
different staircases, between the walls of the cu- 
pola, the hall is reached. During the ascent a fine 
view may be obtained of the lower parts of the 
church, as well as of the mosaics and stuccoes 
which embellish the interior of the dome. On 
reaching the summit a panoramic view of Rome 
and the Campagna is had, quite repaying the labor 
of the ascent. 

THE COLOSSEUM. 

This vast amphitheatre was erected in the centre 
of ancient Rome by Vespasian and Titus, from 
whom it derived its name of the Flavian Amphi- 
theatre. At the present day there remains scarcely 
anything of what formerly indicated the design of 
the building; but a small portion of the immense 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



291 



outer shell, which originally both adorned and 
formed an impenetrable girdle round the whole, 
has been preserved. In the interior only the brick- 
work constructions, which have, as it were, grown 
together with the inclosing wall, are in a state of 
partial preservation. Vast as the building is, its 
construction is easily understood, a simple seg- 
ment of the whole serving to show how all the 
others succeed one another, like the cells of a bee- 
hive. The numerous holes in the stone were made 
for the purpose of extracting the iron clamps that 
held the stones together. The external circum- 
ference is one thousand nine hundred feet, the long 
diameter six hundred and fifty-eight feet, the shorter 
five hundred and fifty-eight feet, height two hun- 
dred and two feet. 

By applying to the custodian the visitor can 
ascend to the top, from which there is a most mag- 
nificent view. The dens for the wild beasts were 
below the amphitheatre, as also the apparatus by 
means of which the arena could be laid under 
water. The emperor's box was immediately over 
the entrance. 

The building was for a long time used as a 
quarry, from which several of the palaces in Rome 
were reared. Should the visitor see the ruin under 
moonlight, or when it is illuminated with Bengal 
lights, then he will see it in its grandeur, for it 
will not bear the brightness of day. 



292 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



The church of St. Clemente is an edifice belong- 
ing to the Irish Dominicans, of which order the 
Rev. Father Maloney is prior. To his instrumen- 
tality we are indebted for the discovery of the 
ancient churches under the present edifice, — for 
there are three, one above another, — and on some 
occasions they are illuminated. Father Maloney 
has written a pamphlet on his discoveries. 

CATACOMBS OF ST. CALIXTUS. 

Eighty of Cook & Son's party went into the 
Catacombs, anciently the quarries made by the 
Romans for the purpose of extracting the tufa 
stone or building material. It has long been 
handed down by priestly tradition that these sub- 
terranean passages served as a refuge for the first 
Christians when persecuted by the emperors; but 
some antiquarians of the present day hold that 
neither did the Christians dig them, as asserted, 
nor did they hide or dwell in them, as they could 
have no occasion for so doing, these Catacombs 
being as well known in that age as in this. They 
are visited by tourists as Christian relics. The 
guide will be found at the door, who will conduct 
the visitor through, and explain the Catacombs, 
finding lights: fee, one franc. 

These Catacombs run under the earth for sixty 
miles. It is estimated that two hundred thousand 
of the then new sect of Christians were buried here, 
including foreign popes. A little farther on we 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



293 



wind down a rough road, on the left, leading to the 
site of what is now occupied by the Church of 
Saint Urbano. It is built of brick, and the vesti- 
bule is supported by marble pillars; the basin in the 
vestibule — containing the holy water — was found 
during an excavation; is supposed to be the altar 
consecrated to Bacchus. At the foot of this hill 
is the valley of Caffarella. Mr. Wood took us 
everywhere in Rome to see different objects. 

PISA. 

We now leave Rome for Pisa, passing through 
Civita Vecchia and Leghorn. The population of 
Pisa is fifty-five thousand. The Cathedral is a 
magnificent structure of white and colored marble, 
ornamented with relievos, columns, inscriptions, 
handsome doors, gorgeous roof, a remarkable 
pulpit, and carved stalls of great beauty in the 
choir; there are several pictures of great interest. 

Another building of interest in Pisa is the Bap- 
tistery, begun in 1 153. It is a beautiful building, 
circular in shape, and built entirely of marble. 
The interior is plain. It contains a fine pulpit, by 
Nicolo Pisans. 

The echo in the Baptistery is marvelously beau- 
tiful. The attendant will sound four notes, and the 
result is a glorious burst of harmony, which, while 
it is dying away, he will reawaken, and the two 
echo-choruses will be heard : it is worth going to 
Pisa to hear. 



294 AROUND THE WORLD. 

The Leaning Tower is, as everybody knows, one 
of the wonders of the world. It was built in 1174, 
by Bonanno, of Pisa ; is one hundred and eighty 
feet high, and thirteen feet out of perpendicular. 
Sismondi compares the tower to the usual pictorial 
representations in children's books of the Tower 
of Babel. It is a happy simile, and conveys a 
better idea of the building than chapters of labored 
descriptions. Nothing can exceed the grace and 
lightness of the structure ; nothing can be more 
remarkable than its general appearance. In the 
course of the ascent to its top (which is by an easy 
staircase) the inclination is very apparent, but at 
the summit it becomes more so, and gives one the 
sensation of being in a ship which has keeled over 
through the action of an ebb-tide. This effect 
upon the low side, so to speak, — looking over from 
the gallery and seeing the shaft recede to its base, 
— is very startling; and I saw a nervous traveler 
hold on to the tower involuntarily, after glancing 
down, as if he had some idea of propping it up. The 
view within from the ground, looking up as through 
a slanted tube, is also very curious ; it certainly 
inclines as much as the most sanguine tourist 
could desire. The natural impulse of ninety-nine 
people out of a hundred who were about to re- 
cline upon the grass below it to rest, and contem- 
plate the adjacent buildings, would probably be 
not to take up their position on the leaning side, it 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



295 



is so very slant. Fee to ascend the tower, one- 
half to one franc, not fewer than three in a party. 

SPEZZIA. 

We now make our way for Spezzia. We stopped 
at the Hotel De la Ville. This was the first day 
the hotel was opened. It was new, and one of 
the most perfect hotels I was ever in, being built 
in the finest style. 

Spezzia stands at the head of the gulf of the 
same name, in a beautiful situation, between two 
fortified ranges of rock. It is a favorite bathing 
and boating place, and the environs are delightful 
— notably Porto Venere. Its most remarkable 
structures are the old citadel and the ancient castle 
of the Visconti. In the bay may be seen the 
strange appearance called Palla, a hemispherical 
swell of the sea, caused by a submarine spring of 
fresh water. The diameter of the Palla is twenty- 
five feet. 

Mr. Marsh, a Baptist minister, bought property 
at Spezzia, and has a school of one hundred and fifty 
scholars. They do not teach English, but Arabic. 

We now start for Genoa. Before we got out of 
the city some person threw a stone into the car in 
which five persons besides myself were seated. 
It broke one of the large lights into a hundred 
pieces. One piece went into a gentleman's eye, 
and it injured him considerably. I don't see how 
we escaped as well as we did. 



296 AROUND THE WORLD. 

There are fifty-five tunnels from Spezzia to Genoa. 
One tunnel runs under Genoa for one and a half 
miles. The whole distance is about one hundred 
and five miles, and we traveled under ground 
seventy miles. 

GENOA. 

The position of the city and port of Genoa is 
one of the finest and loveliest in the world. It is 
a splendid amphitheatre, terrace rising above ter- 
race, garden upon garden, palace upon palace, 
height upon height. Its beauty has been com- 
pared with that of Bath, Naples, and Constanti- 
nople. Genoa was known to the Romans, and 
some traces of the Roman walls are yet to be 
found ; though since the first circuit of walls was 
built the included space has been greatly enlarged, 
so that at the present time the inner walls comprise 
a circuit of seven miles, and the broad compart of 
the outer walls is no less than twenty miles in cir- 
cumference. 

The magnificent harbor of Genoa was the cause 
of the mediaeval prosperity of the city. The re- 
public was founded in the tenth century, and long 
rivaled Pisa and Venice. The head of the repub- 
lic was called the Doge, and was generally elected 
from the four great families of Genoa, the Doria, 
Spinola, Grimaldi, and the Fieschi. The two 
former were Ghibellines, the two latter Guelphs ; 
and these party divisions in Genoa, as in other 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



297 



Italian cities, were the frequent causes of fierce 
domestic struggles. 

In the. sixteenth century a new constitution was 
given to the Genoese by Andrea Doria, but the 
power of the city was then declining. Her rich 
possessions in the Levant gradually fell into the 
hands of the Turks, her trade diminished, and her 
wealth lessened. Genoa was subsequently attacked 
by the French and Germans. In 1805 it was an- 
nexed to the French Empire, and in 1815 was 
ceded to Sardinia. It is now one of the most 
flourishing Italian ports. Commerce is returning 
to Genoa, and, with Italian liberty, better and more 
prosperous times seem to be in store for her. 

The Genoese have borne but an indifferent char- 
acter, though the Tuscan proverb is an exaggera- 
tion which says, " Genoa has a sea without fish, 
mountains without trees, men without faith, and 
women without virtue." 

The harbor is about two miles in diameter, and 
is protected by two moles. That to the east is 
called the Molo Vecchio (old mole) ; the western 
mole is the Molo Nuovo (new mole). The open- 
ing of the harbor between the extreme points of 
the moles is about the third of a mile wide. At 
the extremity of each mole is a light, and on a 
tongue of land to the south of the new mole is a 
new lighthouse, the lantern of which is five hun- 
dred and twenty feet above the level of the sea. 

26 



298 AROUND THE WORLD. 

The interior of the lighthouse, which stands on 
a hill of considerable elevation, may be visited, 
and from the top (fee for admission, fifty cents) a 
magnificent prospect of open sea, harbor, and city 
is obtained. The railway skirts the harbor, and 
tramways are laid down on many of the quays. 

The Arsenal and Royal Dock-yards are to the 
north of the harbor. The Custom House was 
formerly the Bank of Saint George, the most 
ancient banking establishment in Europe. It was 
founded in 1346, and continued to exist until the 
French Revolution. In writing of the foundation 
of the Bank of England, Macaulay says : " The 
Bank of Saint George had nearly completed its 
third century ; it had begun to receive deposits 
and to make loans before Columbus had crossed 
the Atlantic, before Gama had twined the Cape, 
when a Christian Emperor was reigning at Con- 
stantinople, when a Mahommedan Sultan was 
reigning at Grenada, when Florence was a Repub- 
lic, and when Holland obeyed a hereditary Prince. 
All these things had been changed. The Turk 
was at Constantinople, the Castilian was at Gre- 
nada, Florence had its hereditary Prince, but the 
Bank of Saint George was still receiving deposits 
and making loans." 

Why should not the Bank of London be as great 
and as durable as the Bank of Genoa ? The Eng- 
lish traveler who is detained by vexatious custom- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



299 



house regulations in this fine old building, may 
perhaps remember the proverb, " As safe as the 
Bank of England." 

Genoa is pre-eminently the city of palaces. It 
is impossible to describe the endless details of 
those rich palaces, the walls of some of them 
within alive with masterpieces of Vandyck ; the 
great heavy stone balconies, one above another, 
and tier over tier, with here and there one larger 
than the rest, towering high up, a huge marble 
platform ; the doorless vestibules, massively buried 
windows, immense public staircases, thick marble 
pillars, strong, dungeon-like arches, and dreary, 
dreaming, echoing, vaulted chambers, among which 
the eye wanders again and again, as every palace is 
succeeded by another ; the terrace gardens between 
house and house, with green arches of the pine, 
and groves of orange-trees, and blushing oleander 
in full bloom, twenty, thirty, forty feet above the 
street; the painted halls mouldering and rotting in 
the dark corners, and shining out in beautiful 
colors and voluptuous designs where the walls are 
dry; the faded figures on the outside of the houses 
holding wreaths and crowns, and flying upward 
and downward, and standing in niches, and here 
and there looking fainter and more feeble than 
elsewhere by contrast with some fresh little Cupids, 
who, on a more recently decorated portion of the 
front, are stretching out what seems to be the sem- 



300 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



blance of a blanket, but is indeed a sun-dial ; and 
the steep, up-hill streets of small palaces looking 
down on close by-ways. 

The Doria palace was remodeled by Andrea 
Doria, called the father of his country, who died 
in 1560, at an extreme age. The palace is beauti- 
fully situated, its gardens extending to the sea. 
The walks are laid out with cypress- and orange- 
trees, and are adorned with choice vases and stat- 
ues. The reliefs and general decoration of the 
palace were designed by Pierino del Vaga, pupil of 
Raphael. The principal rooms shown are the great 
hall, corridor, containing the family portraits, and 
the saloon. In the garden is a monument to a 
favorite dog which belonged to Andrea Doria. 

Genoa has one hundred and five churches of 
different denominations. 

STATUE OF COLUMBUS. 

The statue of Columbus is near the railway 
station. Columbus was born at Cogoleto, a small 
town on the Rivera di Pouenti, along which the 
road to Nice passes; the monument is of white 
marble, and is surrounded with sitting figures, rep- 
resenting Religion, Wisdom, Force, and Geogra- 
phy. Between these are reliefs, the subjects. of 
which are taken from the history of Columbus. 
The statue at the top represents the discoverer; it 
rests on an anchor, and a figure of America kneels 
at its feet. Near the statue is the palace of Colum- 



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301 



bus, with an inscription. There is a small statue 
to him in a street near the harbor. 

There are hundreds of things I could mention 
about Genoa, but I will stop. 

MILAN. 

We now make our way to Milan, the capital of 
Lombardy, and one of the most thriving cities of 
Italy, ranking second as regards population. Trav- 
elers coming to Italy by any of the Alpine passes 
from Switzerland — the Simplon, the St. Gotthard, or 
the Splugen — are here introduced into life, the city 
being the terminus of those three great routes. The 
population is over two hundred and twelve thou- 
sand, exclusive of soldiers, and the circumference 
of the city, which in shape resembles a hexagon, 
is about eight miles ; the average height above the 
level of the sea is four hundred and thirty English 
feet ; it is watered by the little river Oloud, a trib- 
utary of the Po. 

MILAN CATHEDRAL. 

Milan Cathedral is the largest Gothic church in 
the world ; it covers an area of nearly one hundred 
and eight thousand square feet, a space nearly 
twice that occupied by the cathedral of Canterbury. 
Its form is that of a Latin cross. The dimensions 
of the building are as follows : extreme length, four 
hundred and eighty-six feet ; breadth, two hundred 
and fifty-two feet; length, two hundred and eighty- 
eight feet ; width of nave, exclusive of four aisles, 
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302 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



sixty-three feet ; height of naves from the pavement 
to the statue of the Virgin on the spire, three 
hundred and fifty-five feet, and from the pavement 
to crown of the vaulting, one hundred and fifty-five 
feet. 

The best view of the cathedral is from the plaza 
facing the church ; this plaza has been greatly en- 
larged and improved by the removal of several 
buildings which obstructed the view, and is now 
a very handsome square. 

TURIN. 

We now make our way to Turin, population, 
two hundred and twelve thousand, one of the most 
flourishing Italian cities ; at the same time it is one 
of the least interesting, as it contains few monu- 
ments of antiquity, and, as compared with many 
smaller places, has fewer works of art or magnificent 
churches or palaces. It is, however, by no means 
to be neglected by the traveler, who will probably 
be here introduced to Italian scenes and Italian life. 

The city, which is exceedingly well laid out, 
with fine wide streets, some of them of consider- 
able length, is situated on a plain between the river 
Po and the Dora Raparan, at about eight hundred 
and twenty feet above the level of the sea ; it de- 
rives its name from the Taurini, a Ligurian tribe, 
who were attacked and defeated by Hannibal, B.C. 
218; subsequently a Roman city called Augusta 
Taurinorum occupied part of the site of Turin. 



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303 



Of this city there are no architectural remains, 
the amphitheatre and their ruins having been 
destroyed by Francis I. in 1536. Since then, 
however, it has stood several sieges. In 1706, 
after having been heroically defended against the 
French, who did much injury to the fortifications 
and buildings, the siege was raised after a battle 
in which the French were signally defeated by the 
imperial army under Prince Eugene. 

Turin was the capital of the kingdom of Sar- 
dinia until 1859, when it became the capital of 
Italy. In 1 864, however, the capital was removed 
to Florence, and in 1874 to Rome. Since the re- 
moval of the court and parliament Turin has 
somewhat declined in importance, although, as 
already stated, it is still a flourishing place. 

There are three railway stations -at Turin. The 
Central Station (Stazione Centrale) is the terminus 
of all the lines ; the other stations are the Stazione 
Porta-Luca and the Stazione Succursale, on the 
left bank of the Dora. 

There are more than forty churches in Turin, 
but only a few demand the visitor's special atten- 
tion. The cathedral (Duomo) is the oldest church j 
the present building was begun in 1498, and was 
consecrated seven years after. The west front is 
of marble ; in the interior are several modern fres- 
coes, that over the western door being a copy of 
the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci ; the roof 



304 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



contains representations of events in early scrip- 
tural history, and over the arches are incidents 
from the life of Saint John the Baptist. Turin is 
not far from the Alps. 

MONT CENIS TUNNEL. 

We now make our way to Mont Cenis tunnel. 
As early as 1857 experiments were undertaken 
before a government commission to see if the idea 
of a tunnel through the Alps, which had long occu- 
pied the minds of engineers in France and Italy, 
was practicable. A machine was invented which 
should be worked by means of highly-compressed 
air, and after this compressed air had performed its 
duty should be made available as a source of ven- 
tilation. As soon as this machine was tested and 
found to work, bridges, roads, and houses were 
constructed, and in November, i860, five com- 
pressors were at work. But it was not until 1863 
that the work went successfully ahead ; up to that 
time the machinery was found to do little more 
than could be accomplished by manual labor ; but 
in that year great improvements were made in the 
machinery, and wonderful progress was effected, 
so that in 1870 the work was completed. 

The history of the schemes, the description of 
the machinery constructed by Sommeiller, Grandis, 
and Gratoni, the failures and successes, have been 
so often told that it will be only necessary here to 
say that the tunnel is from seven to eight miles 



AROUND THE WORLD. 305 

long, and the passage occupies sixty-five minutes; 
it is twenty-six feet wide and nineteen feet high, 
and is built up with good walls of masonry through- 
out; it rises from the north (three thousand nine 
hundred and four feet above the sea) by a gradient 
of two in ninety-one to its highest point, four 
thousand three hundred and seventy-seven feet, or 
three thousand four hundred and eighty feet below 
the Alps overhead ; it then descends by a slope of 
one in two hundred to its south opening, near 
Bardonneche. On the Italian side it is four thou- 
sand three hundred feet above the sea. 

Mont Cenis is not a suitable name for the tunnel, 
as that Alpine height is fully sixteen miles away 
from any point of it. The actual mountains under 
which the tunnel passes are the Col de Frejus, the 
Grand Vallon (the highest), and the Col de la Rue. 

One of the most wonderful things in connection 
with the tunnel is that there is no vertical shaft. 
It could therefore only be worked from the two 
mouths towards the centre, and it could not have 
been worked at all if machinery had not been in- 
vented which should bore the tunnel and supply 
air at the same time. 

There is nothing disagreeable in the passage ; 
the air is not closer or more unpleasant than in the 
underground railway in London. The carriages 
are all well lighted, and the tunnel itself is lighted 
at convenient distances throughout. 



3 o6 AROUND THE WORLD. 

Emerging from the tunnel, the scene, at what- 
ever time of the year, is very striking; when the 
snow is upon the ground and the sun is shining 
the blaze of light is dazzling, so much so as to be 
positively painful, and the scene around is wild 
and lonely, almost savage. In the summer the 
prospect is singularly beautiful, and at all times the 
sensation of traveling by rail at that great height 
is pleasant from its novelty. 

Every mile of the journey to Bardonneche until 
the train reaches the level land in the valley of 
France is full of interest, and many of the views 
obtained are of exquisite beauty. Following the 
course of the torrent of Bardonneche, the beautiful 
valley of the Dora Riparia is reached, and, although 
there are fifty tunnels, the views obtained at inter- 
vals are exquisite: the wild and romantic gorge, 
the peaks and passes of surrounding mountains, 
curious little villages nestling beside great rocks, 
and all around vegetation of rich growth and fruit- 
fulness. 

PARIS. 

We passed a great many villages in France be- 
fore we reached Paris. We arrived here at 9 a.m. 
and put up at the Grand Hotel, situated on the 
Boulevard des Capucines, opposite the termination 
of the R.ue de la Paix, which leads to the Tuileries. 
As the stranger is unquestionably desirous to "do" 
Paris, the first city of the world, we will imme- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



307 



diately proceed to describe the centre, where mag- 
nificence, elegance, and luxury reign supreme. The 
Grand Hotel joins the new Opera-House, in close 
proximity to the leading theatres and principal 
railway stations, and the very centre of the life and 
gayety of modern Paris. This magnificent structure 
was built by the same company that own the Hotel 
du Louvre, and in the same elegant style as that 
world-renowned establishment; it is entirely iso- 
lated from all other buildings, and covers an extent 
of nine thousand square yards (about the same as 
the Louvre). It has a frontage on the boulevards of 
three hundred and ninety feet. Its different fagades 
contain four hundred and forty-four windows in 
addition to those in the court-yards, ground-floor, 
and entresol. The rooms number seven hundred, 
nearly all of which are furnished in the most luxu- 
riant style. Its dining-room is the most magnifi- 
cent in the world. Leading from its beautiful 
court of honor are reading-rooms, cafes, billiard 
saloon, reception room, telegraph office, etc. Under 
the new and admirable direction of Mr." Vanhym- 
beeck, an American, the charge for service has 
been suppressed, and rooms can be had at fixed 
prices ; the best rooms, including breakfast and 
dinner with wines, six dollars per day, next best 
five dollars per day, and next best four dollars per 
day. The situation of the Hotel du Louvre is 
delightful, and the amusements about the house so 



308 AROUND THE WORLD. 

varied that it is almost unnecessary to go out to 
look for any other ; it occupies a whole block, cov- 
ering about two acres of ground, and is bounded 
by Rue Rivoli in the front, Rue St. Honore in the 
rear, and Place du Palais Royal and Rue de Ma- 
rengo on the other two sides. It was built by a 
stock company, and is conducted on the same plan 
as our hotels, with the exception that you break- 
fast and dine out, paying only for your rooms, the 
prices varying from twenty francs to six dollars, 
according to the floor you are on, and whether you 
are on the inside or outside of the court. From 
the court a magnificent double staircase leads to 
a Corinthian gallery, occupied as a reading-room. 
Here you will find all the leading papers, maga- 
zines, and reviews. This beautiful saloon with us 
would be called the public parlor and conversation 
room. Here the ladies and gentlemen, guests of 
the house, meet, read the news, and discuss the 
topics of the day. This saloon communicates 
with a spacious dining hall and two small break- 
fast and tea rooms. Each room has its own office, 
service, and waiters. Your bills are sent weekly 
to your rooms, and you pay them at the general 
office in the court. There need never be any mis- 
takes in your bill, unless it is your own fault, as 
the custom is to write on a card for everything 
you want ; always do that, and never pay but for 
what your card calls. In every room in the house 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



309 



you will find the regulations, with the price of that 
particular room and for service ; that with the card 
you give must be your bill. The house is owned 
by the Credit Mobilier, and conducted by M. 
Montague as principal director, a gentleman in 
whom information, politeness, and unremitting at- 
tention to the wants of his guests are happily 
blended. 

RESTAURANTS AND CAFES. 

The best of these are the Trois Freres Proven- 
gaux, Cafe Riche, Anglais, and Voisin's. The 
cafes, as a general rule, only furnish dejeuners a la 
fourchette, chocolate, coffee, tea, ices, and liquors. 
The restaurants Voisin and Riche are considered 
by epicures to have the best cooks in Paris, and 
Americans, when giving breakfast- or dinner- 
parties, generally prefer those, being not only the 
best but the most economical. 

The cafes are institutions almost peculiar to 
Paris, having existed here for over a century and 
a half. They are among the most remarkable fea- 
tures of the French capital. They are to be found 
in every quarter of the city, and are generally dec- 
orated with much taste and splendor. Those most 
brilliantly ornamented are situated on the Boule- 
vard Poissonniere, Boulevard des Italians, Boule- 
vard Montmartre, Boulevard de Capucines, and 
Boulevard le Madeleine. When lighted up at night 
they present a scene of enchantment difficult to 

27 



3io 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



describe. Here it is that the Frenchman is seen 
in all his glory, seated near a small table in front 
of the cafe, enjoying his coffee, his petit verre, his 
sugar and water, or his absinthe. Nothing can be 
more delightful than witnessing this splendid scene. 
Every seat occupied outside and inside; men, 
women, and children, all either eating, drinking, 
smoking, or talking; the blaze of light, the reflec- 
tion of mirrors, the clinking of glasses, and the hum 
of conversation must surely amuse the pleasure- 
seekers. 

There are also some very fine cafes on the Bou- 
levard Sevastopol, where, while you are enjoying 
your cigar, sipping your coffee, drinking your ale 
or liquor, you are amused by the singing of some 
of the best vocalists in Paris. There is no charge' 
for admittance into these establishments, but you 
are expected to call for refreshments of some kind 
on entering. 

The city of Paris is the most splendid city I 
have ever seen. I have been over America, Cuba, 
England, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, Aus- 
tria, Italy, Egypt, the Holy Land, Japan, China, 
India, and many other places, but I have never 
seen any city to compare with Paris. The streets 
are wide, the Voistres and the Boulevard des Ca- 
pucines being the widest and the best in Paris. 
There is nothing to be compared with it in any 
country. There are a great many fountains of dif- 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



3" 



ferent kinds. The houses are very high, more so 
than in any other city. 

CALAIS. 

We proceed from Paris to Calais, distant two 
hundred miles, passing on the way a great many 
cities. From here we crossed the channel to Do- 
ver, and then to London, distant eighty miles. 

The following is taken from a daily newspaper 
(political, literary, artistical, and commercial), pub- 
lished in Aden : 

"round the world. 

"The third annual tour round the world, ar- 
ranged under the auspices of Messrs. Cook & Son, 
of London, and conducted by Mr. A. G. Caprani, 
is now of the past. This party reached Cairo all 
well some two weeks ago, and there the itineraries 
of many of the tourists lay in different directions, 
some hurrying to England, the quickest possible 
way, others to Austria, Germany, Belgium, while 
others, including Mr. A. G. Caprani, the conductor, 
had still further excursions to make in the direction 
of Palestine, Turkey, Greece, etc. It will be remem- 
bered this party left London September 5 last year 
for New York. Their journey included a trip 
across the great American continent, and they vis- 
ited Niagara Falls, Detroit, Salt Lake City, Chicago, 
Sacramento, San Francisco; from thence by the 
Pacific Company's mail steamer to Yokohama, and 
on to Hong Kong, visiting various points of in- 



312 AROUND THE WORLD. 

terest in China; from thence to Singapore, Penang, 
Ceylon, and Calcutta, from which point the journey 
was resumed across the Indian Continent to Bom- 
bay, and from thence to Aden, Suez, and Cairo. 
Among the number of passengers who left Alex- 
andria by the Zambesi, of the P. & O. Co., on 
the 15th, en route for Brindisi and Venice, were 
three gentlemen of distinct nationality, — viz., an 
American, a Belgian, and a German, — who were 
completing their tour of pleasure around the world, 
and had traveled with this party, and all speak 
with admiration of the great tact and energy dis- 
played by Mr. A. G. Caprani, the responsible di- 
rector of the tour, who seems to have been also 
their leader, adviser, general paymaster, banker, 
and companion, conversing alternately and fluently 
in the three or four idioms spoken among this in- 
ternational party of tourists. 

"All are loud in their praises for the liberal and 
efficient manner in which Messrs. Cook have ful- 
filled their stipulations. Every expense was cov- 
ered in their contracts; every member of the party 
was totally relieved of every care; and, when we 
think that it is possible for them to visit so many 
interesting countries, traveling about twenty-five 
thousand miles without having to pay any hotel 
bills or experiencing any trouble in looking after 
their luggage or from other petty annoyances usu- 
ally inherent with the pleasure of traveling even in 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



313 



Europe, we do not wonder at their asserting that 
nobody has ever accomplished such a journey with 
greater ease and comfort. The conditions of cli- 
mate, which were most propitious, and the con- 
tinued fine weather throughout their long ramble 
of six months, certainly contributed not a little to 
the success of the trip. 

"The party was chiefly composed of young 
people, except one, an American gentleman, native 
of Phcenixville, Pennsylvania, who prides himself 
in the belief that few at his age would venture to 
follow in his track. Mr. John Vanderslice may 
almost certainly be said to have been the first who 
had carried his seventy-four years round the world 
in such a pleasant and easy manner as he appears 
to do, and we heartily wish his health may con- 
tinue good yet for many years to relate to his 
grandchildren the sights of Japan, China, the trop- 
ical regions, India, Egypt, Italy, etc., etc. 

" Mr. Thomas Cook, the world-renowned veteran 
of tours, announces his second tour around the 
world, starting from England in September next, 
providing there are twenty depositors, and the 
itinerary will be to a great extent that taken by the 
party who have just completed the tour under the 
charge of our countryman, M. Caprani." 

LONDON. 

London, the metropolis of the United Kingdom 
of Great Britain, and the most wealthy city in the 

27* 



3H 



AROUND THE WORLD, 



world, had a population in 1874 of three million 
eight hundred and fifty thousand, nearly one mil- 
lion increase in twenty years. The present in- 
crease is fifty thousand per annum, or a birth every 
thirteen minutes. The city covers an extent of 
one hundred and forty square miles, or fourteen 
miles long and ten broad ; three hundred and eighty 
thousand houses are occupied by the population, 
and the cost of food is supposed to be eight hun- 
dred thousand dollars per day. Although the cli- 
mate of London is by no means pleasant, its sanitary 
advantages over other capitals are remarkable. Ac- 
cording to statistics, out of every thousand inhabi- 
tants twenty-four die annually in London. 

The houses are large and regular, the streets 
wide and clean, but the sameness of its appearance 
is rather oppressive; its inhabitants are mostly city 
merchants and professional men, who live very close 
to the charming ring of fashion, expecting yearly 
to take the leap across. 

London is of great antiquity. The Romans sur- 
rounded it with walls, but nothing is known of it 
previous to that time. In the time of Nero it bore 
the dignity of a Roman colony. During the last 
eight hundred years it has suffered much from fire 
and pestilence. Its police regulations are admirable, 
and it is considered to-day one of the best governed 
cities in the world. London is particularly distin- 
guished by the air of business which pervades its 



AROUND THE WORLD. 315 

streets, especially in the city. The west has more 
the air of Paris, St. Petersburg, and other capitals. 
The streets are mostly wide, clean, and well paved, 
the houses plain and substantial, the architecture 
of the clubs and public buildings substantial and 
elegant. The most fashionable part of London is 
the West End, and here, as I have said, reside the 
aristocracy of England (that is, during the season, 
which lasts from February to August). 

I started from Phcenixville, Pennsylvania, Sep- 
tember, 1874. By the time I get to New York I 
will have traveled on the great ocean more than 
thirty-seven thousand five hundred miles. We 
have been tossed upon the uneasy sea as a thing 
of no account; though we always prepared our- 
selves as well as we could to withstand the blast, 
we could not keep the deck and were forced to go 
below. I was lying on the locker one day in the 
main cabin, when a heaving swell tossed the ship 
upon her side, throwing the large marble slab of the 
heater from its fastenings; it struck near me on the 
floor and was dashed into a dozen pieces. I have 
traveled over thirty-nine thousand three hundred 
miles by railroad, stages, and other vehicles. I am 
now better in health than when I started from 
Phcenixville. I hope to get to Liverpool and go 
on the Cunard line across the Atlantic Ocean to 
New York, Philadelphia, and then home. 



3 16 AROUND THE WORLD. 

The captains, under-officers, and hotel keepers 
all say I am the oldest man that ever started from 
New York, Philadelphia, or any other point, to sail 
on a tour around the world in good health and 
spirits. I give thanks to the kind Providence 
which has been over us in all the perils of the land 
and of the seas, and more thankful than ever shall 
I be if I get to my home once more. Here evermore 
may our home be until our journeyings on earth 
shall come to an end, and we take our departure 
to a better country in heaven. 

I went out this morning to hear Mr. Spurgeon 
preach at the great Baptist church. I got in, but it 
was very much crowded ; I had to stand two-thirds 
of the time, then a gentleman gave me a seat. Mr. 
Spurgeon is one of the best of preachers ; the sing- 
ing was very good ; the church holds from ten to 
twelve thousand persons ; there are three galleries, 
and there were two or three hundred standing. Per- 
haps this is one of the greatest Baptist churches 
in the world. I went to get my ticket to take me 
to Liverpool, and got a ticket for the Celtic, five 
thousand tons, of the White Star line. I expect to 
get on the steamer on the 29th day of April, 1875. 

London, April 19, 1875. 



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317 



The following article appeared in the " Inde- 
pendent Phoenix," of Phcenixville, Pa., in October, 
1875: 

" GOLDEN WEDDING. 

" On last Wednesday evening, the 20th instant, 
we enjoyed the pleasure, with many other invited 
guests, of meeting under the hospitable roof of 
Mr. and Mrs. John Vanderslice, in honor of the 
fiftieth anniversary of the marriage of that worthy 
couple — their Golden Wedding. It falls to the lot 
of but few to live together happily in wedlock 
for a term of fifty years, and it is meet that such 
an occasion should receive a precious mark. 
Both — Mr. Vanderslice in his seventy-fifth and 
Mrs. Vanderslice in her seventy-first year — are 
in the enjoyment of good health, and on this 
occasion received the congratulations of their 
many friends, and entered into the enjoyments 
of the evening with all the zest and sparkle of 
youth. The south rooms of the mansion were 
used as reception-rooms, and there the friends met 
socially until the season for refreshments, when 
they were ushered into the north rooms, where all 
were bountifully refreshed from a table most heav- 
ily and artistically laden with all the delicacies of 
the season, the Rev. Mr. Stenger, pastor, having 
first asked the blessing of God. The presents for 
the occasion were arranged on a table in an upper 
room, and were both numerous and handsome. 



3 i8 AROUND THE WORLD. 

Out of regard to the wishes of the friends we will 
not particularize in this respect. 

"After doing ample justice to the good things 
provided, the party again assembled in the south 
rooms, and J. B. Morgan, Esq., our worthy bur- 
gess, treated those present to a brief genealogical 
record of the family, after which L. B. Kaler intro- 
duced Rev. William Smith, of Plymouth Meeting 
(Baptist), Montgomery County, who spoke feel- 
ingly of the long life of usefulness and prosperity 
passed together by Mr. and Mrs. Vanderslice, — 
Mr. Smith as pastor of the Phoenixville Church 
having baptized and received them into the church 
some forty-one years ago. 

" John Vanderslice is the son of John and De- 
borah Vanderslice, of East Pikeland Township, 
and was born May 27, 1801. Mrs. Vanderslice is 
the daughter of Nicholas and Christiana Custer, 
of Vincent, and was born February 14, 1805. 
They were married October 20, 1825, and started 
in life with nothing in the way of worldly posses- 
sions. He, for the first four years of his married 
life, worked his father's farm on shares, then spent 
two years at butchering, when he bought a farm 
at Kimberton for three thousand dollars, which he 
lived upon for seven years, greatly improved it, 
and sold it for nine thousand dollars. Then, in the 
year 1840, he bought a farm of sixty- five acres, at 
eighty dollars per acre, in what is now known as 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



319 



the North Ward of this borough ; the old home- 
stead on the site of the present mansion was torn 
down, and the present one erected. About that 
time there were about a dozen houses on the north 
side of the creek. In 1842 he laid out his farm in 
town lots, and in the next three years sold many- 
lots, and saw a town growing up around him. For 
many acres he realized three thousand dollars per 
acre, thus making a very profitable real estate 
speculation. Nine children were born to them, — 
five sons and four daughters ; a son and a daughter 
died in infancy ; the remaining sons and daughters, 
with some twenty-two grandchildren, graced the 
golden wedding. 

" Mr. Vanderslice has also won quite a reputation 
as a traveler, having visited London and Paris no 
less than five times, Italy and Rome three times, 
and bears the honor of being the only man, so far 
as known, who carried his seventy-four years in a 
voyage around the world with all the vigor and 
earnestness of youth. He left his home here on 
the 28th of September, 1874, and went by rail to 
San Francisco, thence across the Pacific to China, 
down the Red Sea to Egypt, and then took the 
course for home. Our readers will remember the 
interesting letters of travel from his pen that we 
published during the eight months of his pil- 
grimage. 

" But, to return to our subject of the Golden 



320 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



Wedding, rarely has it been our lot to be present at 
so social and happy a gathering, and we know that 
such must be the feeling of all who tendered heart- 
felt congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. John Vander- 
slice on this semi-centennial anniversary." 

The following extracts are from "The Key- 
stone," Philadelphia, Saturday, March 27, 1875 : 

" FUNERAL OF BROTHER A. F. SHANAFELT. 

" On Monday afternoon, March 22, the re- 
mains of Brother Rev. A. F. Shanafelt, pastor of 
the First Baptist Church, Chester, Pennsylvania, 
were committed to their last resting-place, in the 
Chester rural cemetery, with impressive Masonic 
ceremonies. The religious service occurred in the 
Baptist church, where some twenty clergymen of 
different denominations, and a vast audience of the 
friends of the deceased, including the brethren of 
Chester and L. H. Scott Lodges and members of 
Saint John's Commandery of this city, were present 
to pay honor to the memory of the deceased. 

" Feeling addresses were delivered by a number 
of the clergy, after which the remains of our much- 
loved brother were viewed by some fifteen hundred 
persons, which demonstrated the affectionate regard 
in which Brother Shanafelt was held by the entire 
community of Chester. The Masonic services at 
the grave were, by request, conducted by Brother 
Edward Masson, acting W. M., whose impassioned 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



321 



address was an earnest tribute to the Masonic vir- 
tues of one who, in his daily life, illustrated the 
loftiest tenets of Freemasonry. Brother Shanafelt 
has passed to the higher life, where, no one can 
doubt, he has received an abundant entrance into 
the Grand Lodge above." 

" DEATH OF AN AGED MASON AND PRINTER. 

" The oldest printer in Pennsylvania, Brother 
John H. Royer, died very suddenly at his residence 
in Phcenixville, Pa., on Wednesday evening, the 
17th inst. That day he must have had a premo- 
nition of his approaching end, as he had a long 
talk with his wife in reference to his death and as 
to who should speak at his funeral, naming the 
Revs. H. S. Miller and Brother M. Rowland, the 
disposition of his body, — that it should be buried 
in Morris Cemetery, and that the Masonic Frater- 
nity should have charge of the ceremonies. He 
was upon the street the last day of his life, in his 
usual good state of health. 

" Brother John H. Royer was born near Hobson's 
School-house, Montgomery County, Pa., on the 
22d of February, 1793. He served his apprentice- 
ship at the ' Register' office in Norristown, com- 
mencing in the year 18 12. During his apprentice- 
ship the war of that year broke out, and he was 
among the first to enlist under the banner of his 
country. At the conclusion of that conflict he 
returned to Norristown and finished his appren- 

28 



322 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



ticeship. At the expiration of his time he went to 
Washington, where he worked as a journeyman. 

"In 1819 he started the ' Pottstown Times/ 
which he successfully conducted for a number of 
years, and which afterwards became the ' Mont- 
gomery Ledger,' which is now a large and flourish- 
ing paper; subsequently he printed a daily paper, 
in Philadelphia, about the time the 'Public Ledger' 
was started. He was the projector of the first Eng- 
lish paper published in Lehigh County, the ' Lehigh 
Bulletin,' which made its appearance in 1837. This 
paper he conducted for twelve years, and then sold 
it, when its name was changed to the ' Allentown 
Democrat,' which it still bears. Later he published 
the 'West Philadelphia Record' and also 'The 
Banner.' In 1857 he went to Phcenixville, and in 
April of that year issued the first number of the 
4 Weekly Phoenix,' now the ' Independent Phoe- 
nix,' which was conducted by Brothers Royer & 
Son. About three years ago he retired from active 
business, and settled down to the quieter walks and 
enjoyments of life, but he still retained his passionate 
liking for the printer's case, and frequently would 
he do a fair day's work in the office of the 'Spring 
City Sun' (published by his son, Brother John H. 
Royer), either at the press or before the case. One 
of these feats of skill he accomplished one week 
before his death, which was the printing of four 
thousand envelopes and one thousand tags, for a 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



323 



leading firm in Spring City, a thousand of which 
envelopes were printed in the space of one hour. 
The setting up one thousand ems in one hour, 
quite a feat for one so aged, he took a modest 
pride in exhibiting. 

" The funeral of Brother Royer took place on 
Sunday, the 21st inst, and was participated in by 
the Masonic Fraternity and the military of the 
town. Phoenix Lodge, No. 75, A. Y. M., had charge 
of the funeral, the brethren turning out in large 
numbers. The military of the place, including 
the Griffin Battery, the Reeves Rifles, the Emmet 
Guards, and the Wheatley Cadets, were also out in 
full force, headed by the Phcenixville Military 
Band, all under the command of F. A. Tencate. 
Major-General J. R. Dobson and staff were also 
present, and led the procession to the church and 
cemetery. Services were held in the Baptist 
Church, conducted by Brother Maxwell Rowland 
and the Rev. H. S. Miller. The sermon delivered 
by Brother Rowland was able and eloquent, and 
was listened to with marked attention. The sing- 
ing was very fine, being led by Brother John O. K. 
Robarts, editor of the ' Phcenixville Messenger.' 
At the grave, Phoenix Lodge, No. 75, performed 
the last sad Masonic rites, Brother P. M. Levi B. 
Kaler officiating as W. M. The funeral was one 
of the largest the town ever witnessed, and showed 
in what esteem the deceased brother was held. 



324 



AROUND THE WORLD. 



"Brother Royer was made a Mason in 1820, and 
was, therefore, not only the oldest printer in the 
State, but also one of the oldest Masons." 

I received two letters in London, April 12, 1875, 
from Cook & Sons' chief office, Ludgate Circuit, 
London, one containing the notice of the death of 
A. F. Shanafelt, pastor of the First Baptist Church, 
Chester, Pa., and the other the death of an aged 
Mason and printer, the oldest printer in Pennsyl- 
vania, Brother John H. Royer, who died at his 
residence in Phoenixville, Pa. 

John Vanderslice. 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Aden 262 

Agra and Taj 246 

Airolo 17 

Alexandria 103, 270 

Alps 18 

Altorf 19 

Amsterdam 28 

Ancient Cemetery in Japan 178 

Animal Food in China 199 

Antwerp 36 

Army 60, 61, 63 

Arnheim . 28 

Ayr 43 

Babylon 112 

Baden-Baden 23, 81 

Ballymena 54 

Basle 21 

Belfast 53 

Benares 243 

Bengal 225 

Berlin 85 

Bethany 126 

Bethlehem 123 

Beyrout 138 

Bombay 260 

Born 9 

Brahmins 241 

Brindisi 271 

Brussels 36 

Butchering 10 

Cairo 106, 267 

Calais. 31 1 

Calcutta 233 



PAGE 

California 67 

California Fruits and Grain 161 
Campo Santo Vecchio, 

Naples 283 

Canton 194 

Cawnpoor 252 

Ceylon 228 

Charlestown 9 

Chicago 56, 142 

Chinese Temples in San 

Francisco 160 

Chinese Theatre in San 

Francisco 158 

Coblentz 25 

Coleraine 54, 55 

Cologne 26, 83 

" Colorado" Steamer 167 

Columbus, Statue of, in 

Genoa 300 

Convent 125 

Council Bluffs 146 

Crimes in Japan 182 

Cuba 57 

Damascus 136 

Dayton 9 

Dead Sea 125 

Delhi 255 

Detroit 59 

Devil's Ink 140 

Disposal of the Dead in 

Japan 183 

Dresden 87 

Dusseldorf 27, 84 

325 



326 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Edinburgh 47, 70 

Farm 10 

Farming 9 

Florence 14 

Fort Sumter 65 

Frankfort 24 

Galveston 66 

Gambling in China 202 

Ganges, the 242 

Geneva 79 

Geneva Lake 80 

Genoa 296 

Gettysburg 62 

Giant's Causeway 54 

Glasgow 44, 68 

Golden Wedding.... 316 

Greenock 52 

Haarlem 31 

Hague 34 

Hanover 85 

Heidelberg 23 

Herculaneum 277 

Hong Kong 193 

India, Natives of 239 

Indiana 10 

Inland Sea of Japan 187 

Innspruck 91 

Jacksonville 65 

Jacob's Well 129 

Japan and the Japanese.... 180 

Japan, excursions in 172 

Japanese habits 186 

"Japan" Steamer, Wreck 

of 203 

Jericho 126 

Jerusalem 121 

Joppa or Jaffa 114 

Jordan 126 

Xehr Hauwar 136 

Kussert 63 

Leipsic 86 

Leyden 33 

Lisburn 54 

Liverpool $6, 71 

London 11, 39, 72, 313 



PAGE 

Lucerne 20 

Madras 227 

Married 9 

Marseilles n 

Mayence 25 

McGregor's 58 

Milan 16, 301 

Mobile 58 

Mont Cenis Tunnel 304 

Munich 90 

Nabulus 128 

Nagasaki 189 

Naples 12, 100, 273 

Nazareth 130 

New Orleans 57, 66 

Nutmeg Grove in Singapore 220 

Oban 52 

Omaha 146 

Opium 239 

Pacific, on the 167 

Paisley 43 

Paris 11, 38, 77, 306 

Penang 224 

Pensacola 66 

Perth 50 

Phcenixville 10 

Pisa 12, 13, 293 

Pompeii 12, 278 

Portland 59 

Port Said 114 

Prague 88 

Pyramids 112 

Quebec 59 

Rachel's Tomb 123 

Ramleh 120 

Red Sea 263 

Religions of China 202 

Religions of the Japanese. 183 

Rome 13, 96, 284 

Rotterdam 34 

Royer, John H 320 

Safed 134 

Salt Lake 153 

San Francisco .-... 153 

Shanafelt, A. F., Funeral of 319 



INDEX. 



327 



PAGE 

Shanghai 190 

Sherman 148 

Silk-weaving 197 

Singapore 219 

Small Feet of Chinese 

Women 200 

Snakes in India 259 

Solomon's Pools 123 

Spezzia 295 

Stirling Castle 50 

Stirling 51 

St. Louis 57 

St. Paul 59 

Strasbourg 21, 80 

Suez 113, 267 

Tallahassee 66 



PAGE 

Taverns 13 

Tea 200 

Tiberias 131 

Tonsure, the, in Japan 185 

"Tourist," the 140 

Turin 302 

Typhoons 196 

Tyre — Hiram 139 

Venice 15, 92 

Verona 16 

Vesuvius , 276 

Vienna 89 

Washington 58, 64 

Wesel 27 

Yeddo 177 

Yokohama 174 



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